Fool's Gold
by Hiiraeth
Summary: INCOMPLETE. He was supposed to take it easy after Fox's attempt on his life, but Kakashi has never been very good at relaxing. A diplomatic meeting in Sunagakure with Gaara turns awry very quickly, and the unexpected discovery of a family secret tops it all off. In a world built on war, the past is not easily forgotten… Sequel to Uneasy Lies the Head, but can be read separately.
1. City of Sand and Dust

**Note 1: If you haven't read the prequel, check out the notes underneath this chapter to see what you need to know. It's not a lot, but it might help. OR you could go read Uneasy! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1. Storm's Rolling In**

* * *

Sunagakure was a city of dust and air. During winter, harsh sandstorms would beat against the dome shaped clay buildings. In summer, the heat would be so stifling that leaving one's home was not unlike stepping into a live oven.

Early autumn, however, was rather pleasant to someone accustomed to Konohagakure's much more temperate climate. It was comfortably warm, and the breeze was just cool enough to ease Kakashi itching lungs.

It was stuffy in the Kazekage's office, and his still healing lungs had gotten uncomfortably tight. Kakashi had requested a quick rooftop break, using the excuse that he needed a moment to think. Better that than to interrupt the whole meeting by coughing constantly. There are still people you didn't want to show weakness around. Now, he leaned against the banister on top of the Kazekage tower and breathed in gratefully.

"Naruto told me of your condition," Gaara's soft, deep voice said from behind him. "I hope you don't mind. He was worried."

Kakashi sniffed. He'd sensed Gaara before he'd heard him; the smell of sharp spice and dark chakra filling the air. "I hope he didn't ask you to babysit," he said dryly.

Gaara smiled faintly as he joined Kakashi at the banister. "I hope you are recovering well...?" He asked. He often reminded Kakashi of Sai; always searching for the right social cues and responses. A childhood spent on the battlefield tended to do that to a person.

"I'm fine. Just a hiccup," Kakashi said, which was almost the truth anyway. "I just wanted to enjoy the view."

Gaara's nearly invisible eyebrows rose minutely. It was probably not every day that he caught a fellow Kage in such an obvious lie. Still, he had to at least be somewhat unsurprised after the whole 'I'm sorry I'm late, but I was kidnapped by a camel' schtick Kakashi had attempted earlier that afternoon. (He'd overslept- the warmth still lingering in the buildings had made him terribly drowsy).

Of course there was also the fact that interrupting an official diplomatic meeting for the sake of _enjoying the view_ was a bit of a thin excuse.

Kakashi and his small party had arrived at Sunagakure's gates the previous day for the official meeting between the two Kage's. Kakashi would've preferred to attend such a meeting as bodyguard or advisor, but Tsunade was annoyingly persistent about the whole 'you deal with all of that now, I'm retired, damn it' she liked to throw at him. Troublesome, as Shikamaru liked to say.

Okay, so he didn't completely hate politics. In fact, it wasn't as unlike battle as he had anticipated before he had taken up the Hokage mantle. It was all about making the right move with the right piece, and nudging the pieces you couldn't quite control in just the right direction with some subtle manipulation. It was an entirely new sort of challenge, and he had always liked challenges.

Still, he couldn't help but miss the heart-pounding adrenaline of a good chase.

After his party's arrival, there hadn't been much time to do anything politics related. There had just been the ever so dreary parade towards the Kazekage tower (which was a rather awkward thing to do when one's father had spent most of his life cutting through the people now watching the parade). Then the next day, they would discuss politics, trade agreements, Intel, and a surprising amount of frivolous formalities.

The atmosphere hadn't been completely friendly. The younger people were fine; the older ones had a habit of giving him distrustful looks. It really rather depended on what they remembered him for.

Fortunately, the diplomacy part of things was pretty easy. Gaara was a loyal ally of Konoha, and he didn't need any convincing to stay on their side. As expected, their discussions had been rather uneventful. A few new trade deals here, preparations for the next chunin exams there…

The biggest hiccup had been one of Gaara's top jounin being an annoying little shit by insisting that Kakashi apologize for his tardiness, and then subsequently interrupting the discussion far too frequently. He was one of the distrustful ones, part of the older generation that had a harder time forgetting the past. Personally, Kakashi felt a big part of it probably had to do with the fact that that same generation hadn't fought side-by-side with Konoha during the last war.

Fortunately, Gaara's calm yet stern presence had quelled any real disruptions. Despite his youth, he practically exuded of authority.

Despite the casual nature of the discussions, Gaara had rushed through them with uncharacteristic taste. Kakashi had been invited to stay for a week, but it seemed that the young Kazekage wanted to speed through all of their discussion points within a single day. They'd even been served dinner at the meeting table. That was a new one.

(Despite knowing better by now, Kakashi had still pulled the eating-without-showing-his-face trick. It was so hard to resist, and worth it just to see the expression on the annoying interrupting jonin's face.)

"How long ago did it happen, again? Fox's attack?" Gaara asked, interrupting his thoughts. Kakashi turned to look at him. The younger man leaned forward on his elbows, the setting sun adding an orange hue to his already bright hair. His face was rather grim, but sincere.

"Four months," Kakashi said. Four months of recovering his health, moving into a new apartment (this time, he'd insisted on something that suited his tastes a little better, but he had lost the battle of not having his apartment on top of a tower marked by the Hokage symbol. Well. You win some, you lose some), talking about Minato and Kushina with Naruto, and spending far more time than he liked in a hospital bed as Tsunade checked him over.

The poison was as good as gone by now, Sakura's seal having done its job, but there was still the lingering damage to his lungs. Tsunade had even gone so far as to insist Sakura would join him on his trip to keep an eye out. As far as Kakashi was concerned, he felt it was unnecessary meddling- but even he couldn't deny he enjoyed having one of his students with him.

Sasuke had gone off to travel again, for the sake of his rather elusive atonement (how atonement was achieved far away from the people he'd hurt most was something of a mystery to Kakashi). Naruto had decided to join him for a while, and had then gotten stuck in Kumogakure. By all accounts, Bee was currently teaching him how to rap. God save them all. Finally, Sai, still recovering from his own trauma, had stayed behind to oversee the further examination of former ROOT agents- intended to root out (pun intended) the last of Fox's minions.

That had left Kakashi with a party of five, himself included; Shikamaru (as his self-appointed assistant), Sakura, Mitarashi Anko, and finally an ANBU bodyguard, Yuugao.

"I was shocked to hear of it," Gaara said slowly. He looked at Kakashi from the corners of his eyes as if to gauge his reaction. "It seems our past continues to haunt us."

 _That was interesting_." _Our_ past?"

Gaara grimaced slightly. "There is something I should discuss with you. Something rather important, but I didn't want to do so during the meeting."

Odd. It had to be something important, for the Kazekage not to entrust his closest advisers with it. Well, knowing Sunagakure's power division, it was likely Gaara's siblings would know. But why not involve the rest of his council? Curious.

Kakashi shrugged slightly. "I'm here now. Fire away."

Gaara shook his head. "You'll have to see it to believe it. We'll go tomorrow."

* * *

He woke up early the next morning and dressed in silence, slipping out of his room before any of his guards noticed. Sunagakure's empty streets were already bathed in warm orange light. It wasn't hard to see why people might love this village, how even dust and sand might appeal. There was a warmth to it, and a kind of careworn love that Kakashi remembered Konoha having before it was destroyed by Pain. The majority of Konoha's current buildings were new, and even though they had been built up in the same style as before, they weren't quite so lived-in or familiar as the old buildings had been. But Suna's buildings still carried the history of many generations.

Kakashi made his way over to the main gate silently and quickly, going unnoticed by the few sleepy guards posted on the towers. Once he reached the gates, Gaara stepped into existence from a nearby wall; the only person who had sensed him at all. He seemed to materialize from the very sand itself, like a vengeful wraith. Jinchuuriki or not, he still maintained some of that unnatural quiet he had possessed before.

Like Kakashi, Gaara was all alone. A quick sensory inspection revealed that there wasn't anyone hiding behind the scenes, either. Kakashi smiled. The more he got to know his fellow Kages, the more he began to suspect that the one thing they all disliked was the formality and protectiveness their fellow Shinobi had a habit of smothering them with.

Somewhere above them, the guard on duty frowned a little as he sensed something in his periphery, something niggling, like an itch you couldn't quite scratch. Kakashi smiled faintly. They both needed better guards.

Gaara inclined his head in greeting, elegant, even this early in the day. "Good morning . I trust you slept well?"

The guard on the tower gave a startled yelp as he noticed that the two most important people in town had more or less snuck up on him.

Kakashi's smile widened. "The quarters you provided me with are excellent, thank you."

Up above, the guard noticed he was being ignored and wisely decided to shuffle back to his seat, clutching at his spear with a vice-like grip.

Gaara smiled perfunctorily, then beckoned him. Together, they entered the desert.

The desert was always a little disorienting at first, particularly when the stars weren't out. It required keener instincts and know-how to navigate the sands, something that took practice. Kakashi had learned it back in ANBU, but his own expertise seemed practiced and fake compared to the ease with which Gaara navigated. A few twitches of his chakra, and he seemed to know somehow which direction he had to take.

The only problem Kakashi could find with the younger Kage was the _silence_. He liked a bit of quiet as much as the next man (probably more so), but after spending years with a team of rowdy, loud teenagers who liked to insult each other for sport, he wasn't really used to it anymore. He decided, possibly for the first time in his life, to start a conversation.

"Whatever it is, it's got to be pretty important for you to leave your council out," he said conversationally.

"My council is… Divided. I heard of your plans to make the Council positions elective. I rather like the idea."

"Not just plans anymore. We had the first election last week. They're still counting the votes, but it should be interesting. Why 'divided?"' Kakashi said, looking around for a marker he might memorize so he might find his way back. In the desert, that didn't prove to be particularly easy.

"The Council is large and old-fashioned. I am far too progressive for their tastes-were it not for the support of my people, I would never have been elected," Gaara confessed. "They actively tried to keep me out. Most of them have since changed their minds about me, particularly since the war-" here, a hint of pride snuck into his voice, "but a number of them are still wary."

"How are they chosen for the Council? Can't you appoint them yourself?"

"I would if I could. They're chosen by the clans, or families, as we call them. Each family has been in this village for as long as it has existed. They believe they, not the Kazekage, were ultimately responsible for the village's success. The Kazekage is valuable, yes, but in their eyes it is the group that ultimately upholds our existence. They're not wrong." Gaara said, kneeling on the ground for a moment and placing his hand on the sand, closing his eyes in apparent focus. Kakashi felt another pulse of chakra, and then Gaara moved on into another direction.

"Presumably there's not just the major families...? What about the non-clan shinobi? Don't they get a say?" Kakashi asked, following Gaara at an easy pace.

In Konoha, about a third of the population were active shinobi. Of those, roughly 40% hailed from one of the major clans, the largest of the clans being the Sarutobi and Akimichi clans. Next in size came the Nara, followed by the Hyuuga and Aburame. The Yamanaka clan and Shimura clan were smaller still, and the Inuzuka clan was little more than one big extended family, by now.

Then came the really small clans, clans that had been large and powerful once but had since declined; only a handful of Senju remained in the village, and the Uchiha and Hatake clans only had one member each left to their ranks. Naruto was there to represent the Uzumaki side of things, of course, but with how scattered the family had become there was no way of telling how many other Uzumaki descendents were still out there.

The more time passed, the more clan members mingled with the non-clan shinobi, thinning out their blood and ultimately disappearing into the rest of the population. It was inevitable, unless they decided on a sudden and rather unexpected surge of incest (which Kakashi would certainly try to veto, thank you very much).

In short, though; Konoha had long since learned to neither underestimate or shun those who did not belong to clans, because they held the future. New clans would inevitably rise up, if Konoha decided it still needed them.

It seemed Sunagakure was a little bit more old-fashioned.

"The majority of my citizens belong to one of the major families. Few of them have bloodline limits, but they pass on secret techniques. More importantly, they have pride," Gaara explained, frowning minutely. "They don't like to give up their names, so they don't like their family to mingle with others. Some of the families get along just fine, but others argue and bicker. It makes for a rather tiresome dynamic."

"Would you doubt their loyalty to your village, or to you?"

"No. I would doubt their discretion."

He didn't say much more than that, leaving Kakashi to speculate. Family arguments weren't exactly his specialty, but he could imagine what might happen. If whatever had gotten Gaara so worked up could in any way be affiliated with one of the families, families opposing them could rise up and point fingers. It was a Civil War in the making, to put it rather strongly. Or a good old bar fight, anyway.

As they traveled, the sun slowly climbed further into the sky, heating up the air around them. Gaara seemed entirely unbothered by it despite his long clothes and pale skin. Kakashi considered using a simple jutsu to ventilate a little bit better, but ultimately decided not to. Better to save his chakra until he had scoped out the situation. Which reminded him…

"If we're about to run into a fight, I'd appreciate a warning," he said dryly.

Gaara smiles faintly. "I'm not expecting one."

Which wasn't the same as _there's not going to be a battle. Conclusion: stay on guard_. Not that he needed to tell Kakashi that. Kakashi was on guard 24/7. He'd made a career out of being on guard.

They pushed on. Eventually, the smell in the air changed slightly-there was water ahead. They pushed forward until the silhouette of a little town came into view. Or what used to be a little town, anyway. Something had destroyed most of the buildings, burning the edges and staining them black with soot. The surviving villagers had built a camp just outside town, the little white tents sitting next to a small oasis.

According to Gaara, the settlement belongs to a formerly nomadic group who called themselves the Ashihara. They were only loosely affiliated with Wind Country, preferring to see themselves as borrowers of the land rather than owners.

A spark of chakra alerted Kakashi of the presence of another shinobi, and moments later Temari appeared. She didn't look much like her brother; tall where he was short, blonde where he was red, and bold where he was quiet. Her eyes were like his, though; green, and always serious.

"Gaara, Hokage-sama. I'm glad to see you both. The people are getting restless. They're worried the water might be poisoned," she said.

"Is it?" Kakashi said, and let his chakra spread out to sense for threats. Aside from their own signatures, there only seem to be civilians around.

Temari shook her head. "No. I tested it to be sure; it seems fine. Gaara, that just proves that it wasn't a demon, right?"

A _demon?_

Gaara said nothing, but something shifted in his expression. Something a little bit fierce and angry.

He led Kakashi towards the camp without speaking. There, an elderly woman with wrinkled, dark skin introduced herself as Haruka, the village leader.

"It was like the old days, when the demon monk would attack towns," she said, referring to the one-tailed beast. "Its chakra was so oppressive, we could no longer feel our own. I am no ninja, but we all of us know a few tricks. How to find water, how to navigate the sands, how to steer the wind away from our huts. We couldn't do any of that during the attack. I thought we would all die. The children kept crying, like they were in pain. I suppose they were, their chakra is so small. No one died, but we all suffered."

Despite her age, she was still supple and had no trouble whatsoever sinking down into a comfortable squat next to the fireplace. A pot was hanging over it, and she stirred it briefly. She closed her eyes and took in the smell. Something potato or root based, with an overabundance of sharp spices, Kakashi guessed. Where would she even get the ingredients, in an environment like this? Kakashi made a mental note to ask Gaara.

Haruka gestured for them to sit, which they did.

Gaara explained the attack had taken place almost two days ago. It wasn't the first such attack either; apparently another similarly sized settlement had been struck about a week ago. More disturbingly, one of his shinobi had returned from a mission severely disoriented, claiming he couldn't feel his chakra at all. He was still in a hospital, too disoriented to speak of his experiences with any clarity.

"It really was like that demon, even though we did not see one," Haruka repeated, casting a suspicious look at Gaara. Temari returned it with a far more poisonous look of her own.

Gaara held up his hands calmly. "It was not Shukaku, I assure you. Last I heard of him, he was in the north near the mountains, with one of his brothers. He has promised to do no more harm to our people. You need not fear him, Haruka-san."

"What are promises to a demon?" She returned.

"They're not unthinking beasts," Kakashi said calmly. "I've spoken to a few by now. All they really want is peace and quiet, as well as their freedom."

Haruka's deep, piercing eyes turned on him. "Are you one of that lot as well? One of those demon vessels? Jinchuuriki?"

Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh. Prejudice, even now. "No, but I've met a few. They're normal people with extraordinary circumstances, not animals. I'm sure there's no reason to believe one of the bijuu would attack your village," he said. He turned to Gaara questioningly, not wanting to overrule his fellow Kage on his own terrain.

Gaara watched him with something like curiosity. "It's true. You have my word as Kazekage. This was not one of the bijuu." He seemed remarkably patient for someone who'd dealt with prejudice all his life and was now faced with it again.

Haruka watched him for quite a while, her aged dark eyes taking him in with a liberty few ninja would have dared. She didn't seem particularly impressed by rank, come to that. Kakashi could certainly appreciate that.

Eventually, she shifted a little. "The village has been good to us, since your reign began. Less trouble with the shinobi about our tricks," she amended, then flicked her fingers. Kakashi felt a rather blunt, untrained burst of chakra, and then a sudden breeze whirled around the old woman. She sighed, seeming refreshed, and smiled. "Your father did not want us using chakra."

Gaara inclined his head. "My father was a complicated man," was all he said.

With Haruka's concerns largely quelled, Gaara, Temari and Kakashi retreated back to the destroyed village.

"The truth is, my village has few trackers. Certainly none of your caliber," Gaara admitted. "I know it is a lot to ask, and you have your own village to think of, but in the spirit of cooperation…"

Two villages destroyed, their civilian inhabitants distraught and left homeless? Their witness account describing something akin to a demon attack? An experienced shinobi cut off from his own life's energy?

Kakashi shrugged slightly." Seems to me you've provided your guest with an interesting little puzzle," he said lightly. Temari smirked.

Kakashi stretched his hands over his head and listened to the satisfying crack of his shoulder. "The truth is, things have gotten rather quiet around Konoha. I will help you, if I can."

Gaara held out a hand. Kakashi looked at it for a moment before he realized Gaara meant for him to shake it. Something he had picked up from Naruto, perhaps. Kakashi smiled to himself and shook Gaara's hand.

It seemed he had a new mystery to solve. Good. This would be _fun_.

xXx

"Well, there were definitely people here," Pakkun said, about half an hour later. "And I don't just mean the villagers. Not smelling any demons, though. They have a signature smell, and it's not here."

Kakashi remembered. A mixture of ozone and brimstone tinged by heavy chakra, all of it mingling with the smell of blood and death. That's what Konoha had smelled like almost twenty years ago, when Obito had set Kurama loose on the village. The smell had clung to his clothes and skin for days after, no matter how often he washed.

"The level of destruction isn't really big enough for it either…" He said thoughtfully, squatting down next to his dog. The others of his pack were still sniffing around, occasionally climbing over bemused villagers or avoiding the playful children. Only Bull had allowed himself to get distracted, but then he had the weakest nose of the pack. Besides, the little girl who was currently scratching behind his ear looked like she knew what he she was doing. The giant mastiff looks like he was about to roll onto his back and kick his legs-Kakashi knew the signs well.

"A shinobi attack?" Pakkun suggested.

"They must've considered that already," Kakashi said, looking at his small Suna escort. Temari was currently trying to dodge Guruko's enthusiastic attempts at befriending her. Kakashi whistled sharply. Guruko's head swiveled towards him, and a moment later he returned to tracking. With all the free time they'd had lately, discipline seem to be a thing of the past in his pack.

"What then? Not like there's a lot of other options. Are you sure you should get involved in this, boss?" The pug said, sitting down on his haunches.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Don't you start. I'll get enough of that from Sakura, when we go back."

"Well, it is for a _reason_ -"

"I'm fine." Kakashi got back up and pretended to inspect a bit of nearby wall. It was a sooty black, and entirely uninteresting.

"Subtle," Pakkun drawled behind him.

Kakashi cast a look at Gaara to see if he had overheard, but Gaara was just watching the dogs, arms crossed over his chest. He was one of those people who just looked innately _cool;_ he'd probably still look cool brushing his teeth or wearing one of Gai's horrible jumpsuits-okay, no, no one could look cool in one of those, but Gaara would get closer than just about anyone else.

He was also very, very young, which meant he was inexperienced. Idealistic, too; no Kazekage before him would've asked a Hokage for help. Kakashi just hoped he wasn't naïve. An attack on a village this close to Suna? It could well of being one of Gaara's own who'd done this. That, or someone with a blatant disregard for his authority. Maybe Gaara hadn't told Kakashi all of his reasons for keeping the Council out of it. Tricky. Certainly on a political level.

Vice versa, no Hokage before Kakashi would have considered helping another village in such a personal way. It was an entirely new position, one for which there were no guidelines or rulebooks. He had to figure it out himself, and decide to what extent he wanted to invest in this.

He liked Gaara. He respected Gaara. But ultimately, his own village would come first.

Kakashi shook himself out of his thoughts. One of the dogs was barking excitedly. Uhei, from the sound of his voice. Kakashi turned and strode towards his dog.

"I found something, boss," the dog said, his tail wagging back and forth in obvious satisfaction. "Some kinda metal thing? It looks funny. It smells of people." He prodded at something with his paw.

Kakashi knelt down and placed a hand on Uhei's warm, firm shoulders. The dog grinned and nosed Kakashi's knee affectionately as he observed the metal object. It looked like some kind of metal band, large enough to wrap around someone's wrist. He took a kunai from his pouch and used it to prod at the metal. Nothing happened. Still…

"Do you think you could track the smell?" He asked.

Uhei nodded fast enough that his tongue rolled out of his mouth. "Yeah, boss. Sure, boss. If the boys help. I don't like the sand. It's hot, it hurts my pads."

"I will wrap them for you. Track the scent as far as you can go. Keep me updated. Sent the boys, one by one. Pakkun will know how." Effective as they were, most of the dogs weren't particularly bright. That's why Pakkun was their leader; he was the cleverest by far.

With that taken care of, Kakashi joined the sand siblings once more. He held up the piece of metal. "Look familiar?"

The siblings inspected it with a nearly identical frown, highlighting their few similarities. "I can't say I do," Gaara said.

"The best I can think of is that it was part of a puppet. Kankuro would know." Temari said, putting her hands in her side and looking out over the camp. "Gaara, we should help these people. If there's another attack, they're sitting ducks."

Gaara nodded. "I've put Himura's team on the job. They're to guard this site. I sent another team to the other village that was attacked, Yamamura. Evacuation doesn't seem immediately necessary. Our shinobi will help with the renovation of the village, and keep an eye out."

"There's a storm coming," Temari said. "If those tents don't hold…"

"Haruna's people have survived out here for centuries. The houses are a recent addition, they will manage without them quite well. They're welcome to come to Sunagakure, but... "Gaara gave Haruka a meaningful look. "I have a feeling they'll refuse."

Temari nodded, then pointed at the piece of metal. "Will your dogs need it, Hokage-sama?"

He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, only to immediately pull them out again. Too damn hot in the desert. "They've had a good whiff. They can hold onto a smell for days, I don't expect they'll need another one. Take it."

Temari blinked, looked at the nearest dog and whispered something that sounded like "useful little mutts".

Kakashi looked at the sun. It was a little hard to tell the time, as dark clouds were gathering near the horizon. He guessed it was around 10 in the morning. By now, Sakura would be bordering on apoplexy. Give it another hour, and she'd be sending out search parties. Mind you, the first search party would be to Kakashi's bedroom, to make sure he wasn't still sleeping. How insulting.

Still, a good sensei took pity on his cute little students every now and then. Particularly if he wanted to continue making said student pay for his dinner bills. (Which he did, thank you very much; just because he had a full bank account didn't mean he had to use it if he could get food through other means. Just strategic foraging, really.)

"We should have back, my party will be getting worried by now," he said, a little reluctant. He wasn't really looking forward to more meetings. On the other hand, Gaara and he now had far more interesting things to discuss. Such as to what extent Gaara wants to keep this from his people-a strategy Kakashi felt was rather tenuous, as it had failed him only four months ago.

Fortunately, Gaara agree to his proposal. Temari stayed behind to wait for the team that was supposed to arrive soon, with the promise that she would follow them home as soon as she could. From what Kakashi could gather, she also tended to serve as Gaara's advisor and bodyguard. If she was anything like Kakashi's bodyguards, she didn't enjoy leaving her charge behind.

Bah, bodyguards. It was almost like constantly trailing after you and generally being a nuisance by having their chakra hover on the edges of your awareness was their job, or something. He'd only brought two himself, and only one of those was actually serious about her job. The other, one Mitarashi Anko, _might_ have been picked because he'd known from the start that she would get distracted by the shiny new village and get off his back every now and then. Not that he would admit to such a thing.

The way back to Suna was a little bit slower than the first trip had been. It was getting warmer by the minute, and Kakashi could feel his dogs' despair at the hot sand underneath their pads through their shared chakra connection. Kakashi winced. It seemed just wrapping their pads hadn't been enough. Still, the boys were tough and the further they were apart the less he felt like he had to tear off his own shoes and throw a water jutsu at the balls of his feet. Transference of feeling was a _pain_. He would have to give them a nice bath when they got back.

Fortunately, Gaara didn't seem to notice his discomfort. He himself seemed utterly unaffected by the heat, even though his skin had roughly the same color as milk and surely had to be sensitive to burning. Maybe he just wore a lot of sunscreen. That's what Kakashi should've done, if he didn't hate the stickiness and sickly sweet smell so much.

About half an hour away from the village a spark of chakra in the distance, almost entirely concealed, gave them pause.

"One of yours?" Gaara asked.

Kakashi nodded, and flared his own chakra in return. His ANBU guard, looking tiny against the backdrop of dark, rolling clouds.

Gaara silhouette gradually darkened as the light faded. He frowned as he watched the clouds approach. "We should hurry. There's a storm coming."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Thank you all so much for your overwhelming enthusiasm for this story. I hope you will enjoy this as much as you did my last story. To any new readers; I hope you'll enjoy the ride!**

 **Some general announcements :**

 **1\. This is a sequel, so here's a few things you might want to know if you haven't read the first story in this series (which is perfectly okay, though of course as its author I am inclined to recommend it ;) ). Here's what you need to know:**

• **The story takes place about two years after the fourth great ninja war. Kakashi is about thirty-four, team seven is around twenty. Kakashi is Hokage.**

• **The Konoha council members (Koharu and Homura, her hubby) are dead. A new, larger and modernized council is about to be elected.**

• **Kakashi is still dealing with the aftermath of being poisoned. He has a temporary seal across his torso to help him heal.**

 **2\. As the majority of you prefer for this story to be gen, any romantic plot lines will be kept subtle and in the background (which was kind of my intention anyway). Out of the canon pairings, ShikaTema will probably appear the most. I will let you know in advance whether anything else will appear.**

 **3\. I don't watch or read Boruto. This story is going to be Canon divergent in a pretty big way. I am somewhat aware of Boruto's plot, but whatever might happen in that story doesn't happen in mine. In short, if something happens here that isn't true for Boruto, just accept it as canon within this fic-verse.**

 **4\. You can find me on Tumblr as hii-raeth. Ask me a question or check out my blog, if you like.**

 **5\. I have no idea how often I will be able to update. Real life is pretty busy, but I am very determined to update fairly regularly.**

 **6\. I am very much one of those authors who writes more if she gets a lot of comments *HINT HINT***


	2. A Good Man

**AN:**

 **Thank you all for the warm reception, it means a lot to me.**

 **I worked hard today, so I decided to reward myself by posting the chapter a little bit earlier. Comments are love!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2. A Good Man**

* * *

 _Later that day…_

Nara Shikamaru had a nagging suspicion that every time he went anywhere with his current Hokage, they ran into trouble. Maybe it was just in the nature of Konoha shinobi to get into trouble. Or maybe it was that this particular Hokage attracted bad guys like an overgrown, mop-shaped magnet. Both seemed like pretty reasonable explanations as he followed Temari through the colorful, warm corridors of one of the government buildings.

"So you're sure? A demon attack?" He asked again.

Temari shrugged slightly, looking perfectly at ease in the warmth despite her long dark clothing. The skirts of her dress billowed behind her as the wind picked up. "Or something that looks like it. The villagers said they couldn't feel their own chakra during the attack, but that doesn't mean their attacker had so much chakra that it drowned them out."

It wasn't uncommon for civilians or low ranked shinobi to faint or even harm themselves when faced with a high-level chakra user. Even without using killing intent, a powerful jounin could turn the world into an ear-bursting vacuum by chakra pressure alone, nevermind what a demon with hundredfold more chakra could do. It took sufficient exposure and a powerful chakra signature of your own to withstand that level of pressure.

There was a good reason civilians weren't allowed anywhere near the training fields.

"What's the alternative?" Shikamaru asked, after they'd turned a corner and waited for a young genin messenger to pass by. "Something that represses chakra?"

"You'd need a heck of a seal for that," Temari bit her lip. A move like that was usually rather distracting, but in the grand scheme of things Shikamaru would rather focus on potentially threatening situations than his girlfriend doing something sexy. He had a job to do, a job he had every intention of being good at.

After all, it wasn't every day that you got to be Hokage's assistant on an important diplomatic mission.

"And Gaara told the Hokage about it this morning?" He asked, letting her steer them to the right down the hall towards another building.

"He _showed_ him. The Hokage sent out his dogs to investigate. I doubt they'll find anything, though; the sandstorm will wipe away any tracks there might be left."

Shikamaru set thoughts of why he'd ask Kakashi personally aside to cast a doubtful look out of the window. This building, like most in Suna, possessed public walkways curving around the outside of the buildings, protected by low walls and hanging rooftops like a long, stretched out patio. It meant the villagers could still move around during one of the many sandstorms, though taking one of the public underground tunnels was safer by far.

From where they were walking, Shikamaru could already see the storm churning towards them, great tawny clouds whirling across the desert like a thunderstorm rolling over Konoha in autumn. What this storm lacked in lightning, it made up for with razor-sharp winds and sand designed to scour the skin off your body.

It wasn't Shikamaru's first sandstorm, but it did look to be the biggest he'd ever seen. He couldn't imagine anyone living outside Suna's walls and _surviving_ that. Keeping out the heat wasn't the only purpose of the thick walls of Sunagakure's buildings. He looked back at Temari and began to understand the need for clothes that covered most of your skin.

"Is there a storm protocol? Somewhere we have to go?" He asked, trying not to sound too eager.

Temari smirked. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. That, and the walls are three feet thick."

He tried not to scowl too deeply. "We should probably find the Hokage first. Knowing him, he's fallen asleep in a tree somewhere…"

* * *

Sakura was floating. Up above, clouds drifted by peacefully, circling around one another in pretty patterns. She had a vague feeling they shouldn't be doing that, but she didn't really care. She was perfectly comfortable where she was, on her back in the grass, watching as the sky changed color-

Oh, _hell_ no.

She burst out of the illusion with a wave of angry chakra, anger mostly directed at herself. "Dammit. Clouds don't do synchronized dancing."

"You don't say," Kakashi-sensei drawled from somewhere nearby. He was sitting cross-legged with his back against one of the training posts, hands loosely held in a seal. "That was five minutes, by my reckoning."

Five minutes before she'd realized she was in an illusion. That was too damn long.

"You said no chakra. Just a taijutsu spar," she told her mentor indignantly, ready for a fight as she got up on her feet. If he was going to cheat, she wouldn't be the only one to suffer for it.

Whilst in Suna, Gaara had kindly reserved a training ground for their group so they could stay in shape during their stay. It was a little outside of the village, though still within the walls, mostly shielded from view by a collection of small buildings, guard towers and a half-wall. They had still garnered a small crowd, although some of the viewers had by now realized it wasn't a particularly interesting spar to watch; there was only so much time you could spend watching when one of the fighters was lying on her back in the grass and the other seemed to be meditating.

Still, having a training ground for themselves, was rather nice. After the long and boring journey, Sakura had been itching for a fight. Shikamaru had declined, and anyway, Kakashi-sensei was a more fun opponent (watching your own shadows was only fun for so long). So she'd challenged her former mentor to a spar and, typically, he'd turned it on its head.

Looking back, they'd probably only exchanged one or two blows before he'd activated the illusion. Vengeance for the scolding she'd given him after he disappeared that morning, probably.

"I never actually agreed to the no-chakra thing, you know," he was saying, giving her a nonchalant shrug as he relaxed out of the jutsu, his chakra slowly releasing its grip on her mind. "I believe my exact words were, 'sure, I'll spar with you'. So really, you were the only person who agreed not to use it."

Everyone had changed because of their war experience, including Kakashi-sensei, but he hadn't become any less insufferable.

"I just wanted a good old-fashioned spar," she whined, walking over and lightly kicking his boot. It felt a little like being a genin again, complaining about Kakashi's strange and often unpleasant training exercises. She had to make an effort not to pout.

He pulled his leg towards him with a hurt look, and actually _patted_ it. Tch. She'd hardly left a bruise.

"And here your good old sensei was trying to give you those genjutsu lessons your requested, "he said, sounding decidedly mopey himself.

She scowled at him. She'd figured he'd go with that line of argument. After a moment under her scouring gaze he began to fidget, but he didn't let up. Sakura huffed and kicked at a stone. Just like him to do something so terribly annoying and still have it somehow seem practical and helpful. In a really weird, socially inept, Kakashi-sensei sort of way.

Besides that, she _had_ asked him for instruction on genjutsu just last week. Seven years of acquaintance really should have cued her in that the lessons wouldn't be conventional.

"I wasn't exactly expecting training during a diplomatic mission," she grumbled, but there was no real fire in it anymore. Haruno Sakura, Hokage's disciple once more. There was a certain ring to that. And, admittedly, she _was_ pleased about receiving lessons. The more she could learn, the better. She still had Tsunade-shishou to surpass, after all. Tsunade had never been one for weaving illusions. "Still, though, dancing clouds? Really?"

He shrugged. "I was trying to see how far I could go before you noticed."

Scratch feeling honored or proud-she wanted to kick him again. Sensing the incoming danger, Kakashi swung himself on top of the post and landed there in a crouch. Much easier to leap out of the way if she did decide to do something about her annoyance.

He spread his hands. "Mahh, if we did have proper spar, you might have punched me in the face by accident. I can't do diplomacy with a black eye, can I?"

 _By accident_ , sure. Sakura smirked. "You just don't want to face-plant again, admit it."

Every now and then, Kakashi-sensei's usually reasonably well-hidden pride made an appearance. Today was such a day.

"Hey now, that only happened because I tried out a new jutsu," he said, frowning a little. "Anyone would have face-planted."

"So when I fail at recognizing genjutsu when I've never practiced it before, it's funny, but when _you take yourself out_ with a new technique, it's perfectly understandable?" She said, still smiling. It had been pretty funny to watch him go out in his own blaze of glory-that is, after she'd rushed over to see if he was okay (he'd been just fine, but Icha Icha had looked decidedly scorched. He'd mourned its passing for weeks).

Kakashi-sensei eyed her for a moment. Then he sighed, giving in. "All right, all right-but practicing genjutsu is more useful when you don't see it coming. That's what it's like in battle, too."

Sakura scowled. He made it sound so easy, but it wasn't easy at all. Particularly when your opponent knew to go for subtlety, and just made a few slight changes to the world (before he'd decided to turn seagulls _pink_ , anyway). "You used to say I'm a genjutsu type. It shouldn't be so hard. "

"Hmm, and then Tsunade got her grubby hands on you and turned you into a taijutsu type," Kakashi said, giving her an innocent look. "All I can do is try and fix the damage."

Regicide was starting to look increasingly appealing. She considered starting a spar after all, and started stretching her arms. It would be good to expend some energy and use her muscles a little. With Kakashi-sensei, it was always a fun challenge; he was still faster than her by quite a bit ( _damn it_ ), and tricky as hell even without the Sharingan. Still, if she could just land a punch…

Kakashi-sensei wasn't looking at her anymore, though. He was frowning a little and staring off into the distance. She followed his gaze, but saw nothing of any particular interest. "Sensei?"

He blinked. "Yes?"

Hmm. Too distracted for a spar, then. All joking aside, she didn't _actually_ want to have to put her former teacher back together. _Or_ explain to Tsunade why she'd attacked her _Hokage_ at a time where he'd clearly been distracted to fight. Or to Morino Ibiki, for that matter.

"Is everything okay?" She said instead.

"Oh. Yes, just fine. I saw something interesting this morning… "

Sakura perked up with renewed interest. She'd had to hear all about it from the others, who'd been rather more surprised (and shocked) than her when they discovered Kakashi-sensei had left early in the morning for a casual stroll with the Kazekage. Their Suna-assigned quartermaster had nearly had a stroke. Casual outings were not par for the course for Kage's. Or they had never been in the past, anyway.

Things were changing everywhere.

Sakura hadn't been particularly worried, knowing both Gaara and Kakashi, but she had definitely been _curious_. And, you know, _annoyed_ , because Kakashi's track record with solo missions hadn't been particularly good lately. Based on Kakashi's expression, he found it curious too.

"Something I should be worried about, as part of your official detail?" She asked, her inner twelve-year-old secretly reveling in the 'official detail' part. That was almost as good as being ANBU, right?

He looked back and smiled. "Probably," he said, and leapt off the post.

Anyone else might have followed that up with an explanation, but this was Kakashi-sensei. He would explain in his own time, and any amount of nagging would only lengthen the process.

"Could you be any more cryptic?" She muttered at his back. She still kind of wanted to spar, but the only other option was Owl, whose ominous uniform and general discomfort at being in a former enemy village had transformed her into a well of roiling chakra and angry glares. The few Suna shinobi who lined the training field twitched nervously when she looked at them, one Suna Chunin actually trying to hide behind his girlfriend when her gaze accidentally fell on him.

In short, Owl was far too distracted as well. All the older shinobi on their team seemed a little off while they were here in the village (aside from Anko, who seemed comfortable just about everywhere). It had to be pretty weird to be hanging out amongst people you may well have fought in the past.

"Well, yes," Kakashi said, breaking through her reverie, "still want to spar?"

She hadn't actually meant for him to hear her complaint, but if she was going to get a fight out of it, all the better. "No more genjutsu," she demanded, as she settled into a pose.

He smiled. " I make no such promises."

When she was sure he was really paying attention, she rushed at him with raised fists.

Only to be interrupted by a frail voice. "Excuse me?"

Something flashed in Kakashi's eyes. His chakra, which he kept tempered down inside the village, grew even less noticeable as he pushed it further down. Sakura followed his example and channeled her own chakra back into her core, where it would be less noticeable-and less intimidating, which was pretty useful if you were trying not to scare anyone in a formally hostile village.

By the time she turned around, their unexpected guest had already made some progress on to the field, supported by a young chunin who eyed them both warily. The old man had to be in his late seventies by now, but he still looks much the same as last time; the wild overgrown eyebrows, the deep grooves in the skin, and the turban on his head...

He still looked like his sister, too. That was the part that always got to Sakura.

"Ebizo-sama!" She said, surprised.

The twin brother of Chiyo of the Ten Fingers smiled lightly. "Haruno Sakura-chan. What a pleasure to see you again. Hokage-sama," he added, acknowledging Kakashi with a slow, creaking bow.

Kakashi-sensei twitched a little, as he always did when people addressed him properly. He gave a slight bow in return. "Ebizou-sama. I hope you are well."

The old man nodded faintly. "Yes, well... Better now that you are here," he nodded at Sakura. "My sister was very fond of you. She may not have told me about it, but I could tell just from looking at her. She rarely took two people quite so quickly."

Sakura blushed. High praise from a woman feared in all the shinobi countries. "Thank you, Ebizou-sama."

"It's no problem. It's just a shame the two of you didn't have more time to get to know each other. I'm sure she would've loved the fact that we're proper allies now." The old man smiled.

That did seem a little optimistic, given that Chiyo had almost killed Kakashi-sensei on the spot just because he'd looked like someone else, and frequently expressed her dislike of Tsunade, but Sakura was hardly going to argue.

"In fact, I have something of hers I think you might like," EbIzou continued, surprising her. "She would've wanted you to have it, I think."

Sakura blinked. "For me? I-are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

Ebizou tilted his head a little. "Well, why not? I am an old man without heirs. You remind me of my beloved sister, reborn again. It is quite lonely without her, you know. We were together from birth, after all. It is good to see I am not the only one to remember her."

Sakura ducked her head. A furious blush spread over her cheeks. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, Ebizou-sama."

"You can come by anytime. Temari-chan can tell you where to find me," Ebizou said. He glanced at Kakashi as well. "Either of you," he said, his voice lowering a little.

Neither of them were really in the mood to spar anymore after Ebizou left. Sakura thought of her flower classes, so long ago, and which flowers might suit Chiyo's grave best. Something that would have made Chiyo laugh, perhaps. To be honest, Chiyo would probably prefer a big bouquet of fancy _Shuriken_ , knowing her.

Kakashi-sensei was slouched thoughtfully on his training post, doing a pretty good impersonation of his namesake. "Huh," he said, intelligently.

Sakura giggled. "That was pretty un expected," she agreed.

"You should go. It might be something nice," he said.

Sakura nodded. "Kakashi-sensei... I don't mean to gossip, but was Ebizou-sama...? Was he as good as Chiyo, back in his day?"

"Hmm, he was pretty good. Not good enough for ten fingers and a nickname, but I reckon he was pretty high level. That was before my time, though," he said. "He probably retired before I entered active duty."

Right. It was easy to forget, but the people ambling around the training field, twitching at Owl's glares and offering Sakura gifts, could have been her enemies in another life. A life without Akatsuki and the fourth War. She would never have had the chance to be friends with Chiyo if they'd been the same age; they would've been too busy trying to kill each other. That was why Owl was so uncomfortable, and why people still glared at the back of Kakashi-sensei's head when he passed by.

That was another life, though-not this one. In this one, Ebizou was just a nice old man. She just had to try not to think about how many Konoha shinobi he might've killed.

Hell, she'd seen Kakashi-sensei kill Suna shinobi right before her eyes. It was important not to think in terms of black and white, not here.

"It would be interesting to look at one of her puppets from up close, if Kankuro hasn't stolen them all," she said, trying to climb out of her melancholy mood.

"Last I heard, he has a Sasori-themed puppet," Kakashi said cheerfully, brushing dust off his hands as he stood up.

Sakura shuddered. "Please don't remind me."

Kakashi opened his mouth to do just that, but Owl interrupted him.

"Kakashi-senpai, the storm will be here soon. The Kazekage's aid suggests it would be best to go and find shelter," she said, walking up to the field.

It was getting a little breezy, and Sakura didn't feel much like being torn limb from limb by razor-like sand. She shivered-the storm had moved quicker than she'd expected, almost like it crept up on them. She stretched her arms over her head to crack her back. "Race you to it?"

Kakashi-sensei's expression described everything from _not even if you drag me_ to _youngsters these days_ before finally settling on resignation. Sakura could practically see his mind trying to come up with a good comeback. In the end, he went for, "You've been training with Lee too much."

She grinned.

Owl turned out to be right; as they left the training fields and headed for the more populated area of the village, Suna's people were busily packing their things and boarding up their houses. Even the long cloths draped over the alleys to create some shade were taken down and rolled up.

Kakashi-sensei tilted his head, reminding her eerily of one of his dogs. "Ahh. I can hear it now. It's moving pretty quickly."

Sakura couldn't hear anything yet, but then she was pretty sure Kakashi-sensei's mother had been a dog, or something. Or at least part-dog. A minimum of 25%. She remembered the sound of sandstorms, though, like a thousand howling voices screaming through the air.

She couldn't wait to get inside.

Typically, Kakashi-sensei took his time. He ambled along peacefully, occasionally peering at a shopkeeper's wares moments before their owner pulled them inside, like they were the most interesting things he'd ever seen.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. There was always _some_ kind of plan when Kakashi-sensei behaved like this. He was looking up at one of the taller buildings even as he allowed Owl to drag him along, as if he was searching for something...

Owl, basically his official babysitter, seemed both unsurprised and completely prepared: she suggested that if they got caught in the storm, something dreadful might just happen to Kakashi's books. Her masked glare said she would be true to her word.

Sakura had a feeling threatening your Hokage's possessions might count as treason, but it _did_ speed up Kakashi-sensei's pace a little. The memory of that burned copy of Icha Icha was probably fresh on his mind.

By now Sakura could hear the storm as well, and it was every bit as frightening as she remembered. It wasn't just the sound, or the sand, or the wind; the scariest thing about the sandstorm was that it could take your breath away. The sky was already darkening.

It was approaching fast.

"Kakashi-sensei..." She said, as they neared their own building. The aide was already frantically beckoning from the door opening, and Owl looked about five seconds away from dragging them through the doorway herself.

"Sir?" The ANBU said.

Kakashi held up a hand, still staring. "Just one moment…"

Dark yellow clouds topped the walls of the village, flowing over like waves on the beach. Not long before she could see the individual particles-

The air shimmered. One moment there was just in the sand and the wind and the noise, and then there was _chakra_ , filtering through the air as it was dragged out like a net across the village floor.

Kakashi-sensei gave a delighted little laugh.

Up ahead, on the tallest building in the village, stood a small but blazing figure with his arms raised into the air. _Gaara_.

His chakra didn't stop the sand, but she could feel him steering it away from the smallest buildings. She could feel him filtering it, and she remembered suddenly what Tsunade had once told her about sandstorms: the dust could get into the lungs, clogging them with filth and unknown viruses.

And he was preventing all of that from happening. He was protecting his people, even when he didn't necessarily have to.

Even if filtering and guiding an entire sandstorm by yourself hadn't been such an incredible feat, Sakura would still have been awestruck.

Gaara was pretty damn amazing.

Kakashi-sensei was still laughing as he pushed her and Owl inside. Gaara's aide quickly close the door behind them, and not a moment too soon: seconds later, heavy winds beat against the door.

Sakura blinked, still a little star struck. "How did you know..?"

Kakashi-sensei reached out and ruffled her hair. "A little birdie told me. That, and he likes to play it safe when it comes to protecting his people."

Owl sniffed, perhaps a little miffed that her own Kage couldn't play it safer with his own life. At her side, Gaara's aid was beaming with pride.

* * *

Waiting out the storm was tedious, if anything. They relocated the meeting to one of the inner chambers of Gaara's tower, but without Gaara present there wasn't an awful lot to discuss. Once he'd established that, Kakashi made a quick getaway, trailed by a clearly unhappy ANBU guard.

He found a comfortable couch aimed at a large window near his own chambers, and he gratefully sunk down on it. He'd been right in the middle of a good paragraph…

Okay, so maybe it was a little hard to focus on reading when the protective windowpanes were rattling and the winds were howling outside, but a man had to try. He sighed and put his book away. It was nice to recline on the couch and just close his eyes for a moment. If he tried, he could reach out and feel the chakra signatures of nearby people; Yuugao's, ever watchful, was the closest.

"You holding up okay?" He drawled, knowing she would be able to hear.

"Yes, sir," she said sharply.

Well, that didn't sound unnatural at all. He sighed again, just because he could. "You do realize I know that you're not, right?" He said slowly.

Even with his eyes closed, he could imagine her little flinch. He smiled despite himself. "It's okay. If anything, blame it on me."

"... Sir?"

"Perhaps I shouldn't have brought you here," he said thoughtfully, trying to remember the sound of Hayate's voice. He opened his eyes slowly.

She was standing with her back towards the window, head tilted slightly forward. That was the biggest downside of ANBU's masks; he had no way of knowing her expression. As if reading people wasn't hard enough.

Fortunately, she lifted her head back up. "Surely you wouldn't consider keeping me away from certain missions just because they might be sensitive," she said softly, before adding a belated, "Hokage-sama".

That was the trouble with being superior officer to your friends: it was hard to strike a good balance between formality and friendship. Even more so when you inadvertently insulted them. Yuugao had always been a proud woman.

He rubbed the back of his head. Maybe that mask of hers wasn't such a bad idea after all; at least now, he couldn't see her glare. "Mahh, I don't doubt that you'll complete the mission…"

 _But I could've saved you the pain._ That was the second issue with knowing your subordinates well: you also knew their weaknesses.

"I'm fine," she said. Then, a little softer, "well enough, anyway. I can't avoid Suna forever, can I?"

"I suppose not." He closed his eyes again and looked back up at the ceiling. Most of all, he was glad he wasn't in Iwagakure or Kirigakure. Then he would've been in Yuugao's position.

Outside, the storm raged on.

* * *

Eventually, the storm grew weaker and Gaara returned from his watch. Kakashi didn't ask how the younger man had found him; he was pretty sure Gaara could sense just about everything so long as it touched sand. Under different circumstances, that would probably be pretty unnerving.

As Gaara entered the room, Yuugao retreated to the shadows. Gaara gave her a mildly curious look before turning to Kakashi. "I hope you've not been terribly bored during the storm," he said.

"On the contrary. You gave us quite the show," Kakashi smiled, squeezing his eyes together.

Gaara blinked before smiling. It was never a full smile or grin, just a corner of his mouth lifted in an almost shy gesture. "It did not go unnoticed, then?"

Hardly. Kakashi had felt Gaara's chakra throughout the storm, sometimes faint, sometimes as powerful a presence as the roaring winds. He made a vague gesture with his hands. "It was hard not to notice."

Gaara inclined his head a little at the unspoken compliment. "It decreases the number of children who develop asthma. It also helps the elderly; they used to have a hard time of it during storms. The quality of the air… It takes effort, but it's worth it."

Kakashi sat up a little straighter. The faint whiff of exhaustion clung to the other Kage like a heavy cloak, his chakra no longer the feeling of hard soil and air. Probably still enough chakra for a fight, but not enough to overwhelm.

"I'm glad our storms are tamer," Kakashi said, "I'd have to play lightning rod all summer." There was only so much lightning you could channel before your hair turned into a lost cause. Sakura would probably argue he had nothing to worry about on that front, though.

Gaara sniffed, which was his way of laughing. "What about forest fires?"

Kakashi shrugged. "The land of fire was named for its volcanic activity, but most of the volcanoes died out ages ago. Other than that, it's too humid for any big fires. "

Gaara nodded thoughtfully and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "I suppose a milder climate does make it easier to build a large military force," he said.

Less focus on survival required. Fair enough. "Mahh, the desert has only made your people tougher," he said lightly.

Gaara smiled again. He pushed off the wall. "We'll be able to resume our meeting tomorrow at noon. Please do let me know if your dogs find anything," he said.

Kakashi nodded, and just because he could, felt for the edges of his summons' chakra signatures, anchored as they were to his own.

Outside, the sky had turned blue again. If he could see the street, he bet he would be able to see people carefully leaving their homes to inspect the damage.

But it wasn't just the storm that ended; the connection with one of his dog snapped without warning. Kakashi sat up sharply, drawing curious looks. Uhei. Uhei never broke his own contract unless it was absolutely necessary. Which meant something had gone wrong.

Within seconds, several other dogs disappeared as well, their signatures snapping loose with an uncomfortable twang.

Gaara was already looking at him as if he knew something was wrong.

"I think we might have to have that meeting a little bit earlier," Kakashi said, heart in his throat.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Next time, Shikamaru has a few things to discuss with Kakashi, and they are all faced with something of a mystery…**

 **just to clear things up, Owl is Uzuki Yuugao. I'm using her because I like her and I want there to be a clear female presence in the story. Also, she hasn't actually met Sakura yet, because I'm ignoring the filler episodes where they met (** _ **Highly**_ **trained assassin loses boyfriend and suddenly loses the ability to fight? And somehow can't beat him despite vastly outranking him? Really, Studio Pierrot?** _ **Really?**_ **).**


	3. Skeletons

**Chapter 3. Skeletons**

* * *

Shredded tarp snapped in the wind, trapped between the ruins of the village. It might have looked like a child's kite, lost in the storm, had it not been for the blood splattered over its surface.

The people of the Ashihara settlement were all gone. Aside from the occasional bloodstain, most of which belonged to the dogs, there was no indication of where they'd disappeared off to. It was hard to believe Kakashi and Gaara had visited this village only yesterday, and found children and adults smiling in the face of hardship.

There was no one left. Not even the old woman, Haruna-just to the memory of her eyes, dark and accusing.

"They came at us too quickly," Pakkun said, from his perch in the crook of Kakashi's arm. He was still shivering more than Kakashi liked, but Sakura had assured him the pug's injuries would heal with time. Nonetheless, seeing red-tinged bandages wrapped around his oldest friend made his stomach clench.

"Did you get a look at their uniforms?" Kakashi asked.

"Black and gray, sleek. I could be wrong about the colors, of course," Pakkun looked away. Colorblindness. One of the disadvantages of being a dog, next to incurable halitosis and the bad habit of greeting people crotch first. Anything on the red spectrum was just a washed out gray to them. The storm probably wouldn't have helped with identifying their attackers, either.

"But there _was_ a uniform?"

"Yeah. 'sides, they were way too organized for normal bandits," Pakkun said, burying his face in his paws. "Uhei gonna be okay?"

Uhei had been hit first and worst. His left flank had been shredded by the time Kakashi had managed to summon him again. He'd been keening with pain. Sakura had had to work hard to knit him back together.

Kakashi stroked his dog's head. The pug rarely tolerated physical contact, but Kakashi had a feeling he would make an exception today. "He will be, with time."

The smell of cigarettes and Temari's lavender perfume announced Shikamaru's arrival. "Let me get this straight: they attacked the dogs first, and then went straight for the village?" Shikamaru said.

"It seems likely," Kakashi sighed. "Bull and Urushi followed them to try and protect the nomads, but by the time they got here, they were already too late," he said, pointing at a paw-print shaped bloodstain nearby.

The younger man came to stand beside him to overlook what was left of the tent camp. Most of the tents had been shredded, probably by knives and hands. They must've attacked during the storm itself.

"Could it be related to the first attack?" Shikamaru said, taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. The way he flicked the lighter open with his thumb was eerily reminiscent of Asuma.

"It might well be. Clearing up evidence, perhaps."

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully."So, how involved are we going to be in this?"

"As much as Gaara wants us to be, of course." Kakashi smiled faintly.

Shikamaru looked at him from the corners of his eyes. "And what if it piques your interest, but Gaara ask us not to help?"

There was entirely too much suspicion in his voice for someone who had only ever been on one mission with Kakashi. He tried not to look too caught out.

"Like I said: we'll do what we can," Kakashi said evasively. "And obviously we will need to ascertain whether there is a threat to Konoha."

Shikamaru didn't look particularly convinced, but sighed. "So long as you don't get yourself poisoned again. This isn't really your jurisdiction, you know."

"That was _one_ time. And yes, I know. But he asked for my help."

Temari ambled towards them, Sakura by her side, cutting Kakashi off. He'd tell Shikamaru about Gaara's council later.

"It definitely wasn't ordinary bandits," Temari said. "The only thing missing are the people; even their possessions are still here."

Sakura looked particularly dejected. There was no one for her to you, aside from the dogs. Perhaps to feel better, she addressed Pakkun. "How are you holding up?"

The little dog sniffed and tried to take on a more dignified pose- which was a little hard, considering he was being held by hands bigger than his head. "I'm fine." He finished it up by nonchalantly licking his uninjured paw.

Kakashi sniffed in amusement. "I'll send you back to get some rest," he said, and dismissed Pakkun's contract. The little pug would go back home to the summoning world, where he could snuggle up with the rest of the pack. Beaten, yes, but still alive. Kakashi would have to summon dogs outside his usual pack if he needed any, for the foreseeable future. Summoning dogs didn't heal any quicker than normal dogs did, but he was grateful they had survived at all.

Black and gray uniforms… The closest bet was Kumogakure's outfit, but Pakkun would have recognized those. Besides, Kumo would never dare to attack such a close ally. Not after the war.

Some kind of organization, then? Or just particularly well organized rogues? They would've had to be jonin-level at least to take out the pack and all of the nomads at the same time. The last thing the world needed was another band like Akatsuki. Not this soon.

The scent of chakra and dust met his nose. Gaara, making his way back to the camp. He'd explored the area around the camp along with several of his men, trying to find survivors. Now, he returned empty-handed, with an angry glower on his face. His chakra simmered, tired but fierce.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Not even blood, aside from what we found in the camp. At least we know they weren't killed here, if they were killed."

"You think someone might have kidnapped them?" Shikamaru asked.

"Perhaps. We need to keep looking." Gaara said.

"The storm will have wiped away all tracks," she said. "How on earth would we find them?"

Gaara mulled it over. After a moment, he said, "I'm going to place extra guards near the other village that was attacked. If the first attack is related to this one, they might try again. There will be more storms."

"Anything we can do?" Kakashi asked, putting his hands in his pockets. Uhei's blood still clung to the rims of his nails.

Gaara eyed him, and then his hands, as though he was remembering the injured dogs as well. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. Our first priority must be our diplomatic discussions."

"Of course, of course," Kakashi hand-waved it, and tried not to sound too cynical when he said, "Priorities."

Shikamaru was eyeing him again, as though he could sense the curiosity and interest Kakashi felt despite himself. Whatever had happened to the villagers was horrific, and it was hard not to feel involved. Still, there was also a part of him that felt _excited_ just to have something to do that wasn't politics for once. Damn. He really needed to get his priorities straight.

That, or he could stop going by the book and get properly involved.

* * *

Before he could do or plan anything, though, the earthquake otherwise known as Haruno Sakura dragged him off as soon as they got back to the village, intent on distracting them both from the mystery.

"Oh, come on! Elder Ebizou-sama's house is right around the corner, Temari told me so herself!" Sakura's fingers were closed like a vice around Kakashi's upper arm, and had been for the last couple of minutes. He couldn't feel his fingers. Not much longer, and he'd require amputation. The nice thing about Sakura was that she could do both the injuring and the amputating herself, like a particularly gruesome two-for-one package deal.

"Don't you feel bad about dragging your poor old sensei around like a rag?" Kakashi complained. It was a little hard to look dignified when someone half your size was dragging you through the village. They were definitely drawing attention.

Sakura didn't take pity on him. "You are neither poor or old. I've seen your checkbook, remember?" She said, giving him a particularly scathing look. "If anything, you're just a penny pincher. "

"And now you're insulting me too? Mahh..." Not that she was wrong, per se. Hoarding S-rank missions like other people might stamps had given him a certain degree of financial security. I.e., he was rich.

The grip on his arm tightened. "Please, sensei. He invited us both. Besides, you'd make it a lot easier on me if you did go along... And I could really use the distraction. Thinking of all those people…" She gave him a pleading look that reminded him of the time where he'd had three little twelve-year olds looking up to him. Ah, those were the days. Where had all the hero worship disappeared off to?

Probably down the same way as their respect for Jiraiya, after discovering what sort of books the man wrote.

He pulled a face. It was hard to resist Sakura's innocent look, even when he did have the distinct feeling she was playing him. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure he mostly invited you," he said slowly. "He only addressed me out of politeness."

"Nonsense. He gave you a meaningful look. Besides, we're already there."

Before he could ask why she wanted him along, they turned the corner. Much to his horror, she was right. The elder lived in a rather beautiful home, all things considered; a rather elegant building with a rounded roof, a patio and a tall, thin tree curving up against the wall. It had to be of hardy stock, to survive out here-just like the people who had planted it.

Ebizou was roused from a nap by his aide, but he didn't seem particularly bothered. If anything, he seemed more pleased than Kakashi had ever seen him look.

"Please, do come in," Ebizou said, beckoning them into a rather cozy home tinted in warm earth tones. They toed off their boots, and took in the room. Lacquered furniture covered in soft pillows further added to the luxurious atmosphere. It smelled of spices and freshly cooked rice, with just a hint of lung medicine underneath (a smell Kakashi had become intimately familiar with over the past few months). The ground felt soft and warm underneath their bare feet, covered as it was with beautiful intricately patterned carpets. They looked hand-woven.

"I didn't expect you so soon," the old man said, "but you are more than welcome. I'm afraid you won't be able to stay for dinner, though; I already have some guests for the evening."

Well, that was a relief. Kakashi smiled pleasantly as Sakura thanked Ebizou, and hope he didn't look too pleased.

The old man puttered about for a while, as all old people seemed to do, stuffing the little table in the living room full of spicy, sweet tea and small red cookies. "These were my sister's favorites, you know," he said, winking at Sakura.

The girl smiled politely and picked up one of the cookies. Her eye twitched violently after the first bite. Fortunately, Ebizou was rummaging around in a cupboard when she tossed the remnants of the cookie over her shoulder and out of the window, with pinpoint precision.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. She mouthed the word _bitter_.

"Ah! Here it is-her favorite dagger," Ebizou turned around to meet them, holding a short, finely carved sheath between two hands. It was a dusky red, engraved with thorny vines and what looked to be roses. In all likelihood, it was custom-made.

"She was a redhead, when she was younger," Ebizou said. "She liked things that matched her hair. This one was a gift from her husband, long ago. It wasn't _quite_ the right shade, so she wanted to build it into her favorite puppet, until I rescued it. Such a shame, to hide away such a beautiful blade. Besides, it's not really meant for long battles."

He handed the sheathed blade over to Sakura with careful moves. She took it almost reverently and slowly unsheathed the blade. It looked wickedly sharp, the tip slightly curved upwards. Simpler etchings decorated the hilt.

"It's beautiful," Sakura breathed. She tried it out with a few quick sweeps; it looked perfectly balanced. "I couldn't possibly-"

Ebizou shook a hand. "No, no. It's yours. Mind you, it's mostly ceremonial; the metal is pretty but it won't survive a surge of chakra. That said, it meant a lot to her. She meant to give it to her son one day. Of course, she never got that chance…"

Kakashi was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the picture near the windowsill; Chiyo, aged forty at best, her arm wrapped around the waist of a young man with red curls. Sasori's father. There were other pictures too, of that same man with a brunette woman. Only Sasori was missing, cut out of his grandmother's life. Just as the White Fang of Konoha had cut away the puppet master's parents.

It was one thing to speak to the uncle of two of his father's victims. It was another thing entirely to be in a house where one of them had probably grown up.

Sakura was chattering excitedly with Ebizou, so very grateful. Ebizou glanced at Kakashi from the corner of his eyes. When he and Sakura finished their conversation about Chiyo, he turned to Kakashi altogether.

Kakashi's stomach made an uncomfortable flip; he couldn't help but feel like he'd walked into a trap of some sorts.

"I met your father once, in a manner of speaking," Ebizou said, which didn't help with Kakashi's nerves. His tone was somewhere in between disdain and begrudging respect. "We held him in captivity for a while, during the second war. We were so proud of ourselves for having captured Konoha's _White Fang!_ Or so we thought, anyway. Your father was a shrewd man."

 _Held him as a captive._ During a war. Kakashi felt cold all of a sudden. At his side, Sakura's eyes had gone wide.

Ebizou pulled a simple black and white scroll from his sleeve. "We took this off him," he said. "For months, we tried to decode it. Your father wouldn't tell us what it was, during the time we had him as a captive. Which wasn't very long, by the way, before you ask."

"Did you manage?" Kakashi asked slowly. He wanted to ask more, like what had happened, or how his father had gotten away, or how on earth they had managed to capture him in the first place, but he didn't want to disrupt whatever whimsy was causing Ebizou to speak so openly.

"Oh no, but we tried. I regret to say he ended up in interrogation, but that's how it went in those days. Anyway, we didn't get to hold onto him for a very long, as I said. I suppose we underestimated him," Ebizou said.

The old man nodded to himself and ran the scroll through his hands one more time before extending it to Kakashi. "It's yours, if you want it. It's not as though we have any use for it anymore. The war happened so long ago…"

Kakashi hesitated. Interrogation. He was sitting right across from a man who may well have _tortured_ his father. He felt all the more relieved that he hadn't taken any of the tea or the food.

After a moment, he took the scroll and ran his fingers over it, very aware of the eyes trained on him. Suddenly self-conscious, he gripped the scroll a little bit more tightly. It bore the Hatake sigil on its side. Perhaps it would recognize his chakra, or his blood... A sudden rush of excitement rolled over him; something that had belonged to his father had somehow found its way back to him, all the way out in the desert.

"Thank you," he said, genuinely grateful. There was a time and place for getting angry for his father's sake, but expressing it to a man who had lost half his family to the White Fang was not it. Wartime changed everything, including how much you were willing to hurt people to protect your own. He would have to explore his anger some other time, when he was alone and could think about the consequences torture might've had on someone who'd always been a little unstable. "When was he-"

The old man held up a hand as he began to cough, with loud, painful sounding wheezes. Sakura scooted forward to help out, but the old man's aide got there first.

"Please, Ebizou-sama needs some rest. He is still recovering from pneumonia. It would be best if you came back some other time," the aide said.

"Of course," Sakura said, standing up. "Let me know if I can help in any way. You've been very kind."

Kakashi resisted the urge to grimace, caught somewhere in between curiosity and discomfort. He'd never heard of his father getting captured at any point in the war; from what he'd understood, his father hadn't usually left enough of his opponents intact for that. Clearly, Ebizou knew something he didn't, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

It wasn't the first time he was confronted with his father's history, but it was the first time he was actually in the _living room_ of someone who'd met the steely end of his father's ire. Despite his curiosity, he didn't relish the idea of going back here. No, the scroll would have to provide him with answers.

At least Sakura was there to take charge. She thanked Ebizou once more, and then he and Sakura left.

Once outside, Sakura held up her own gift with a giddy smile. "Any chance you can teach me how to use a dagger as well?" She said.

He gave her a distracted look. Away from the accusing photographs, it was a little hard not to try to open the scroll right away. "Yeah, sure. We'll fit something in."

Her smile slowly turned into a frown. "Are you okay? I know it was a little unexpected…"

He shivered. "I'm fine. Just surprised. Usually, they don't come bearing gifts…" He said the last part more to himself than to her, but she caught on anyway.

"Chiyo-baa-sama was not the first person who attacked you like that, was she..?" She asked.

"Hardly. And she was nice enough to stop when she figured out who I really was," he smiled, eager to change the subject. "It's not so different from how she treated you for being Tsunade's apprentice," he added, and immediately regretted it.

"Of course it's different," she argued. "Chiyo was annoyed with Tsunade, but she hated your dad-oh, sorry. I didn't mean to…"

He shook his head and stuffed his hands-and the scroll-into his pockets. "It's fine. He killed her son. My father would've done the same if our roles had been reversed. That was just the way people thought in those days. Many people still think that way."

She grimaced. "I suppose so. But it was war, right? I mean… If he hadn't killed them, maybe he would've died. Kill or be killed."

"Yeah, maybe." Sakumo had been one of the strongest people in the world, in his prime. It wasn't likely a couple of normal jounin or chunin could have been any kind of threat to him. Which meant he'd killed them… Why, exactly? Just because?

They spent the next few minutes in a slightly awkward silence. Fortunately, once they reached the shopping district, there was plenty to be distracted by: with the storm passed, people were setting up shop again, entering the streets with infectious joy.

A large shadow fell over them as a couple of Genin ran by overhead, trailing the huge and colorful banners they were hanging over the alleyways again. The boys stopped briefly to bow to them, both red-cheeked and grinning.

Sakura laughed lightly. "I never thought it could be so lively in a desert."

They returned to their assigned apartment shortly afterwards. Much to Kakashi's annoyance (the scroll was practically burning its way through his pockets; he _really_ wanted to know its contents), Shikamaru chose that moment to reappear and go over a list of political technicalities. Useful stuff, but hardly what he wanted to focus on.

After that, it was dinner time, and after that, he could finally retire to his rooms. Rooms, plural, which was rather ridiculous if you asked him, but at least it made it easy for him to avoid other people. He went straight for his bedroom, slumped down onto the edge of the bed, and pulled out the scroll.

He turned it around in his hands and wished he still had the Sharingan. It would have made it much easier to see what sealing system his father had used. As it was, he could barely even feel the chakra that was still holding it together. But it was there, even years after its owner's death. The corner of his mouth quirked up.

He closed his eyes, breathed in deep, and focused on that chakra...

 _Stress, hot un-breathable air. Rough hands on his back, pushing him forward. His voice barking, and another laughing loudly in return. All around him, erratic, ecstatic chakra. Above all else, the stench of fear._

Kakashi breathed in sharply and pulled back out. "Damn…"

Memory imprints. His father had actually found a way to _weave memories into a damn scroll._ " _Still_ smarter than me," he breathed, half annoyed and half admiring. Or maybe memory wasn't the right word-it was more like experience, the smell and feeling of moment encapsulated in his chakra, the sensation of being captured. There were no images involved, just feelings. Sakumo might not even have done it on purpose; just having paper somewhere on his body that responded to chakra might have done the trick.

"I bet you were in a hurry…" And in obvious distress, which left Kakashi feeling slightly nauseous.

The scroll sat in his lap where he had dropped it, still closed. He stared at it, willing it to open.

"But why did you get caught?" He muttered, readying himself to dive in once more.

"Hokage-sama? Who are you talking to?" Shikamaru rounded the corner to his bedroom, startling Kakashi badly enough that he dropped the scroll _again._ Judging the threat, he kicked the scroll under the bed with his heel before Shikamaru could see it.

 _Sloppy!_ He'd gotten so absorbed by the scroll that he hadn't paid any attention to his surroundings.

Judging by Shikamaru's expression, he didn't like it much either. "Are you okay?"

That was the second time today someone had asked him. He'd wanted to leave all of that behind when Fox died. "I'm _fine_ ," he said, "just a little distracted."

"You're never this distracted," Shikamaru said.

Kakashi sighed. "It's fine," he said, lacing some authority through his voice. "Why did you come here?"

Shikamaru scowled, clearly unconvinced. "I just wanted to ask you again: how involved are we going to get here? We still have things to take care of at home."

"Yeah, yeah…" Rounding up the last of Fox's henchmen-if there were any-, overseeing the appointment of new council members, dealing with the fallout from the spilled secrets… There was plenty left to do back home, but none of it put Kakashi's instincts on edge the way the missing people from Ashihara did.

Something was very wrong here, even if it wasn't his jurisdiction.

Still… "We leave at the end of the week, as we said we would. Gaara has competent shinobi of his own to do the legwork," he said reluctantly. "As much as we might want to help, there's no reason to think Gaara can't take care of things himself."

Shikamaru's stance shifted slightly. Kakashi couldn't tell whether he was happy with the news or not.

"And if he can't?" Shikamaru finally said.

"Then we go back. Or I send Naruto," Kakashi smiled. "He hasn't been out to see Gaara in a while; he keeps complaining about it in his letters."

Shikamaru smiled faintly, his first smile of the day. "He does, doesn't he? Is he still in Kumogakure?"

Kakashi shrugged. "As far as I know."

And just like that, the tension seeped out of the room. It seemed that Naruto had a way of affecting people even from halfway across the world.

"If you don't know, no one does. He's surprisingly good about checking in. More responsible than I ever thought he would be," Shikamaru said.

As Konoha's resident not-so-secret weapon, Naruto always had to keep Kakashi up-to-date of his location. To his credit, he never once complained.

"He takes his job rather seriously, you know," Kakashi smiled, "he wants that promotion." He nodded at the Hokage hat; he'd thrown the ridiculous thing on a chair when he'd first entered his room, and not looked at it since.

"Are you going to give it to him?" Shikamaru asked, his eyebrows lightly raised.

"As if I could give it to anyone else. We'd have a rebellion on our hands."

"Not for a few years yet though, right? I don't want him to think rapping is an appropriate part of a kage's repertoire."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe it will be once he's Hokage."

"I've changed my mind-never retire. Please."

"Well, I could always give it to Sasuke…" Kakashi gave him his best innocent look.

Needless to say, Shikamaru was not amused. There was a lot of sighing and eye rolling involved. Before he could leave, though, Kakashi held up a hand. "Before you go… I have an assignment for you. Try to figure out what Gaara's council is like. Ask Temari perhaps, but try to be a little bit subtle."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows lightly, but nodded. "I don't much like the idea of spying on her, but all right. Can I ask why, though?"

"Hmm. Something Gaara said. It might be nothing, but it's worth checking out. Call it a hunch."

Eventually, Shikamaru left, though not before he made a parting shot about what would happen to Konoha if Sasuke was actually Hokage.

Which reminded Kakashi that he had to send out a bird and figure out where Sasuke had gone. Just as soon as this trip was over, and he'd opened that damn scroll...

And so, despite himself, he too slowly drifted back into a routine, the mystery of the disappeared villagers retreating to a distant part of his mind...

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **Next chapter we get some proper action, I promise. As well as a surprise appearance… Please do let me know what you think! Or even just that you're still reading; it's nice to know you guys are out there.**

 **What is it about my stories that I must always have at least one visit to some old man in it? Maybe I just like writing old people...**

 **Also, in regards to what Kakashi is thinking… He doesn't particularly like Ebizou, particularly after what he's just learned, but he also knows people do extreme things in times of war- that, and his father was hardly a saint. No one deserves to be tortured, but then no one deserves to lose their child/nephew and daughter/niece-in-law either, orphaning their child in the process. War is awful, and there can be no true heroes on either side.**


	4. The Fish, the Snake, and the Hound

**Chapter 4. The Snake**

* * *

 **AN: some mentions of past one-sided SasuSaku in this chapter.**

* * *

A letter, written on a crumpled piece of paper. At least ten different spelling errors have been crossed out and corrected in the margins. Someone doodled small frogs at the top.

 _Hey, Kaka-sensei!_

 _How are you? Still in one piece? (I'm just asking because you're kind of bad at avoiding hospitals). Did you give Gaara the card I handed you? Did he laugh? I've been trying to make him laugh for ages now, and I still haven't succeeded._

 _So, Kumo is kind of a bust. Bee kept telling me it was this really cool place where people appreciated proper music, and proper jokes, but I think he was just fooling himself. They don't really seem to like his music at all, and they liked it even less when I joined Bee for a little concert. I'm thinking maybe singing isn't my strong suit…_

 _Anyway, I heard from Sakura that you guys ran into some weird stuff back in Suna? Now, I'm all for you helping Gaara, but I just wanted to say it's only been four months. Take it easy. I will clobber you if you're not careful._

 _Give Sakura my love._

 _Uzumaki Naruto,_

 _Future Seventh Hokage (it's never too early to practice my signature, right?)_

* * *

At the edge of Wind country, the desert slowly petered out into a slightly more fertile land, where shrubs would occasionally stick up their heads and give the landscape a splash of color. The further they got, the larger and more numerous the foliage until eventually, they saw the tree line of the massive forest that spanned the border of the country.

The rest of the week in Sunagakure had passed pretty uneventfully, all things considered. As far as Sakura knew, no new clues had turned up regarding what had happened in the small settlement, although she wasn't exactly privy to all the latest news the way she was back in Konoha. According to sensei's many yawns and general recalcitrance, the meetings hadn't been particularly interesting either.

At least he seemed to get along with Gaara, which was both amusing and slightly scary, and she'd delighted in telling Naruto all about it in a letter. Between the two of them, Gaara and Kakashi had utterly exhausted Sunagakure's more recalcitrant council members. Apparently, the man who had interrupted their first meeting was now sporting bald patches from the stress of it.

By all accounts, both kages had gotten exactly what they wanted out of the meetings, too.

"Man, am I glad to be out of that dust hole!" Mitarashi Anko grinned widely and stretched her arms above her head. She marched ahead cheerfully, the first to leave the desert and enter the tree line. Unlike the others, she hadn't been particularly interested in the missing nomads, and she'd gotten bored of investigating Sunagakure within two days. Sakura suspected it had more to do with her fair skin and propensity for burning it. It didn't help that she had foregone her coat and replaced it with a crop top for most of the trip. Now, she finally dug the oversized beige coat out of her backpack and put it on again.

As for Sakura's other companions, they formed a sliding scale of grump.

Owl, unsurprisingly, was as serious as always. If she was happy at all to have left the place that had made her so visibly uncomfortable, she didn't show it. She seemed her usual self, if anything. Alert, but otherwise a blank canvas.

Kakashi-sensei was hard to read as well. He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes were heavy-lidded with boredom. He'd been distracted all week, and often barely even heard it when someone spoke to him. He was still messing around with that scroll, but as far as Sakura knew, he had yet to open it. Whatever his dad had done to it, it had been pretty effective. Whatever it was, though, it was clearly getting to Kakashi. To be fair, Sakura would be pretty annoyed too if a piece of paper had stumped her for almost a week.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, was actively moping. Sure, he did his duty without any complaints, but there were only so many forlorn looks he could throw over his shoulder before a girl recognized heart ache. Sakura sidled up next to him as they walked and bumped his shoulder with her own. "You okay?"

He scowled. "Am I that obvious?"

"Only a little bit," she smiled cheekily. It was always fun to get the drop on him.

"It's fine. I'm used to this," he said.

"Villages before girlfriends, huh?"

"Yeah. I figured you'd get that." He raised an eyebrow.

For a moment, Sakura didn't understand what he was referring to. Then she thought, _Sasuke_ , and almost leaving Konoha with him. How stupid she'd been.

"Oh, no-we're not-it's not like that anymore. There's too much distance," she flushed, thinking of dark eyes and pale fingers.

"Hmm. Doesn't mean you can just switch those feelings off, though, does it? " He retorted.

Still a bloody mind reader.

Now it was her turn to scowl. "That's not really any of your business. I thought we were talking about you. " And anyway, feelings tended to change after murder attempts. At some point, rationale had to overcome emotion.

He grinned lightly. "What goes around comes around."

She gave him a light shove. If all else failed, violence always worked. It was a great way to change the subject. "So what do you think happened in that settlement?" She asked, once he'd picked himself up again. She was actually quite interested in picking his brain; if you did have one of the world's cleverest people around, you might as well make use of it.

He shrugged. "Ransoming. Abduction. Maybe they just left. I don't know, but it seems shady. It's not actually our business, though, even if we are allies. We went to Suna for politics and diplomacy, not a mission."

"Even so… If we are allies, shouldn't we help?"

"We're still rebuilding back home, and vetting our elite, _ANBU_ , to make sure their allegiance isn't with Fox. I mean, that's why the ANBU commander didn't join us on this trip. You know he wanted to," Shikamaru drawled.

That was true; usually, Yamato-taichou preferred to join Kakashi on his outings, especially after what had happened the last time. Hell, even before then. He seemed to have gotten it into his mind that his first priority was to control whatever damage Kakashi-sensei managed to wreak. Knowing sensei, it wasn't entirely unjustified. This time, though, Yamato'd been so busy that he hadn't even asked.

"If anything, I'm surprised Kakashi-sensei didn't want us to stay for longer," she said thoughtfully. "He doesn't talk about it, but he's obviously feeling cooped up staying in the village all the time."

Not that he looked particularly happy in Suna.

Kakashi'd gone so pale when Ebizou had mentioned his father. After that, he'd been less eager to explore the village, or even leave his room. Why? She knew a little about his father from what he had told the team after Fox's death, but it had been one of the the topics he'd been the most uncomfortable talking about- Hatake Sakumo, and Nohara Rin.

Sakura personally suspected Kakashi had had an easier time talking about Obito and Minato because Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke had already seen parts of his history with them during the war. That would make it easier to talk about, right? Because they already knew part of it?

Had, in fact, had it thrown in their faces in the form of Obito himself, vengeful and dangerous. And later, that same angry man had helped them save the world. Without that final redemption, she was pretty sure sensei would never have spoken of his old friend again.

It was strange to think of Kakashi as someone who could feel ashamed, when he usually walked around with porn in front of his nose, but it was the only thing that made sense.

It made her a little sad. For all that team 7 had hurt her, at least they were all still alive and mostly intact- just short of two arms and one eye. That was a lot better than Tenten could say in regards to _her_ team. None of them had been the same after poor Neji had died. Despite everything, team seven had gotten lucky.

She couldn't imagine all of them being dead. Her parents, Naruto and Sasuke, even Kakashi-sensei... Would she have gone mad, if they'd all died? Or would she have become reclusive and eccentric, always happy to stay on the sidelines…

Great. That just made her feel more sad. It helped a little to look up and see Kakashi-sensei reading one of his stupid books, stooped over and looking a little silly with his mask and his hair. Still just good old Kakashi-sensei, despite everything.

At her side, Shikamaru shrugged. They paused briefly near a tree, and watched as Kakashi walked further out of hearing range. "I only ever knew Kakashi as your teacher, before Akatsuki, but the fact that he was ANBU is pretty much common knowledge. That, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out he probably started young. That's what they did with prodigies back in the day. I'd feel cooped up too, if I'd been out in the field all my life. It's why he likes mysteries so much these days."

"Mysteries?"

"You know. Fox, or the disappeared villagers."

"I doubt he enjoyed _Fox_."

Shikamaru shook his head. "That's the thing. I think part of him did. Not the poisoning, but the thrill of it all. Like being in battle again."

They were briefly quiet as they digested this.

Eventually, Shikamaru shrugged. "It's okay if he's restless, but it shouldn't affect his choices. Not when his choices influence all of us."

Sakura frowned, feeling uncomfortable. She started to walk again, wanting to catch up with the others. "Sensei can be reckless, but he's not stupid," she countered weekly.

"No one would ever call him stupid," Shikamaru said, picking up his pace as well. "He just has a habit of treating everything like missions."

* * *

Perhaps a quarter of an hour later, they approached one of wind country's border towns. It was one of the smaller settlements, looking more like a fortress than a village, all stone walls and disused guard towers. It was probably a remnant from the second great ninja war, when Suna had needed extra protection along its eastern borders.

Kakashi observed the neglected walls with vague curiosity, noticing the crumbling mortar and cracked stone. The fortress's current inhabitants obviously didn't do much to maintain the fortifications, but judging by the small, colorful block of shoebox sized apartments that rose up just beyond the wall they were certainly happy to be there.

That said, there couldn't be more than fifty people living in the old fortress.

"Temari told me about this place," Shikamaru said. "They're war refugees. Their town was overrun by white Zetsu's. The survivors ended up settling here, with Suna's aid. They used to have a patrol come by every week, until the refugees figured it out for themselves. Apparently, it's becoming quite popular marketplace."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as they passed by the open gate. There was no one to be seen. "Doesn't look very lively…"

He'd barely finished speaking when the door of one of the apartments burst open and a teenage boy came running out, screaming for their help. "Hey! Over here! We were attacked!"

After that, there wasn't a lot of time to think. Kakashi gave Sakura and Anko permission to investigate the fortress with a single nod. He stayed behind with Shikamaru and Owl, and let himself be guided into the village by the boy.

"How long ago was this?" He asked.

"Early this morning," the boy said. He had by now recognized their headbands, and seemed a little shy; officially, he was supposed to ask Suna for help, not Konoha. "One moment everything was fine, and the next these strangers were doing… Something. I don't understand what they were doing."

Around them, the village was slowly coming to life; people were starting to appear from doorways and windows, and carefully began to approach them.

The boy swayed suddenly, and sank down onto a nearby low wall. He cradled his head in his hands. "I felt so strange…"

Owl crouched next to him and placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. The boy flinched away from her mask at first, but once she quietly explained she wanted to check him for a concussion he gave in. A few checks later, and she was slowly shaking her head. "No concussion. Did you eat or drink anything unusual?"

"No, no. I just felt like I couldn't breathe, or move. It didn't stop until those men had left. I couldn't keep standing properly, so I didn't see what they were doing."

"We all felt it. It was… Terrifying," a slightly older girl said. She had the same thick eyebrows and tan skin as the boy, leaving little doubt that she was his sister. She sat next to him and wrapped an arm around him.

Kakashi and Shikamaru exchanged a look.

Sakura joined them a moment later. "The south seems clear. Anko took the North-"

 _"Over here!"_

Speak of the devil. Anko was a blur of tan and purple as she suddenly raced towards the eastern exit. She blew her chakra up as large and intimidating as she could, a sure sign she was on the hunt.

"She's chasing someone," Owl, their sensor, confirmed half a second later, "Jonin-level, and _fast_."

Kakashi's heart did a funny little dance that it really shouldn't have done after the number of battles he had fought in his life. He was actually getting _excited_. He felt all the more grateful for his mask, because it neatly hid his smile as he chased after Anko. Somewhere behind him, he heard Shikamaru curse.

They were out of the settlement in no time flat – it really was little more than a fortress, converted into a small – raced back into the woods.

It only took Kakashi a few controlled breaths to get his heart rate back to a normal rate. He couldn't lose his head over the prospect of a single battle, like some over-excitable genin. Just because he wasn't used to going between fights for so long…

It occurred to him that all of these were entirely inappropriate thoughts to be having during a potentially dangerous chase. He tried not to laugh.

With another burst of chakra, he caught up to Anko and got his first look at their prey. White hair with a blue sheen, pale skin, purple clothes underneath a heavy cloak... This was one of Sasuke's bunch, Sui... something. Suimaru? Suigetsu.

The young man looked over his shoulder and cursed; five shinobi in pursuit, most of them obviously jonin-level or above from their chakra levels? He had to know he wouldn't be able to get away. He tried, though: with a barely imperceptible flash of chakra, his body shifted from bone and flesh into water, allowing him to slip through the trees at a much greater speed.

Mind made up, Kakashi picked a summoning scroll from his belt. A flash of chakra later, and four shiny steel rods arrowed after Suigetsu, burying themselves in the earth in a tight square around him. They crackled again, still infused with Kakashi's chakra, and then Suigetsu ran into an invisible wall.

 _"Raiton: Gokusotsu!"_

 _(Lightning style: prison guards; hell's tormenting devils)_

The lightning barrier crackled with blinding intensity, throwing Suigetsu onto his back. Faint purple chakra formed a cube around Suigetsu as Kakashi's chakra took hold, following the lines of the steel rods. The cube shimmered once, and then turned nearly invisible; only the occasional spark running across its surface betrayed its presence.

The first charge wouldn't be too bad; just something to startle the boy. Each successive charge would be worse.

"..The hell?" Suigetsu watched as the wall of chakra shimmered out of existence, visible only by the faint ripple in the air. He looked back over his shoulder, where Kakashi and his team were closing in. Kakashi slowed down to a jog.

Suigetsu bared his teeth in a snarl and threw himself to the left- slamming right into the next wall of his chakra prison. Another flash of lightning, and Suigetsu was once again on the floor.

"The fuck?" Wizened by the experience, Suigetsu created a water clone with the kind of ease and speed that came with being born in Kiri. The clone turned to Kakashi's direction as Suigetsu tried to go up. Two more flashes of light. The clone bursted, and Suigetsu cursed loudly as he was reacquainted with electric shocks to the system.

The cube's ceiling was the hardest to maintain, but _definitely_ worth it.

Kakashi lowered himself onto a nearby branch, letting one leg dangle and folding the other underneath him. "Well. This is awkward," he said.

Suigetsu was still cursing. Fortunately, he was clever enough not to try turning his body into liquid to escape his jail cell. _That_ was potentially lethal.

" _Nice_ ," Anko grinned appreciatively as she caught sight of the square chakra prison.

"So _that's_ what you wanted those blades for?" Sakura asked, observing the prison with keen eyes.

"- _DAMN IT, I'm not your enemy-"_

"Yup! Pretty useful, right?" Kakashi smiled lightly, ignoring his prisoner. "Makes it a little easier to shape the prison."

"- _jus' let me go already, you rotten old-"_

"Still though, the name is a bit much," Shikamaru said dryly.

"I don't know, I kind of like it," Anko said, to no one's surprise.

"Artistic freedom," Kakashi shrugged. "Now, let's find out what one of Orochimaru's old lackeys is doing here, shall we?"

 _That_ caught Suigetsu's attention. He froze and pivoted slowly on his foot to face them. For a moment, he just looked at them, tilting his head a little as he took them in. "I don't work for him anymore. You're Sasuke's old teammate, right? You're the Sixth, you should already know this..."

Kakashi shrugged. He _did_ know, but he could let the boy sweat little bit longer. "It seems to me you're a long way from home. Didn't you return to Kiri?"

He didn't, if Mei was to be believed. They'd all kept tabs on Sasuke's little group.

"As if. I wasn't in Kiri at all, I was in-" Suigetsu closed his mouth abruptly.

Well, at least he wasn't trying to lie.

"Yes?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Not with Sasuke, then?" Shikamaru drawled, taking up position next to Kakashi.

Suigetsu threw him a nasty glare. "Obviously. You don't see him around anywhere, do you?"

"Then the question remains why _you_ are here. Not on holiday, I suppose?" Kakashi said. With a twist of his fingers, the prison grew smaller, forcing Suigetsu down to his knees.

"Geez- give me a break here!" Suigetsu cried out, jerking involuntarily at prison wall's proximity. One side of his body had already liquefied in instinctive response. "What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you the Hokage? Shouldn't you be in Konoha?"

"Sorry, but you're not exactly in a position to be asking questions," Kakashi said.

Suigetsu stared back. After a moment, he averted his gaze. "All right, all right. Yes, I was in the sound village, but it's not like I'm on their side, you know? After all the shit that snake bastard put me through? If I'm on anyone side, it Sasuke's."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. At his side, Shikamaru seemed to come to the same conclusion. "Did _he_ send you here?"

Sakura twitched.

Suigetsu scowled. "He didn't tell you? We're… Investigatin'. The old snake is making a move again."

The group was quiet as it digested that. Anko had lost her cheer altogether, looking pale and drawn.

Orochimaru had been eerily quiet since the war, drawing little attention to himself after he had slunk off (before any of the Kage had recovered enough to capture him). Ever since, they had tolerated the snake's continued existence for only two reasons: one, he'd saved Sasuke's life. Two (much more important than reason number one, since most of the other Kage's couldn't care less whether Sasuke lived or died), they'd seen hide nor hair of him in years.

 _Thanks for the heads-up, Sasuke._ Preaching teamwork to that boy hadn't done much good.

Kakashi waited another moment, and then dropped down from the tree. Hands in his pockets, he strolled towards the chakra prison. "Explain."

Suigetsu's purple eyes looked at him suspiciously, trying to read him. Kakashi kept his body relaxed, not wanting to give anything away. He considered increasing the strength of the prison for a moment, to give Suigetsu some real incentive to talk, but from the stubborn set of the young man's eyes he could tell it wouldn't work. Like most good shinobi, Suigetsu wouldn't talk just to avoid a bit of pain.

Luck favored them. Or maybe it was his connection to Sasuke. Either way, Suigetsu reluctantly nodded. "Okay, so, you know how Karin went off to live in your village? And Sasuke started traveling again? Me and Juugo thought the best place for us to be would be somewhere we could keep an eye on everything. And that place is Sound village."

He spread his hands a little. As a gesture of goodwill, Kakashi let up on some of the chakra pressure. The chakra prison grew slightly larger, the walls slightly less aggressive.

"So the thing is, Orochimaru's not around much in Sound. He's technically the leader," Suigetsu explained, "but he doesn't do an awful lot of leading. It's his favorites that do most of the governing and assigning missions. Orochimaru is too busy with his own things. Which seemed pretty great, but then people started to go missing."

"I knew it, I knew it!" Anko hissed. "He's behind-"

Kakashi raised a hand, and Anko stopped talking. Her temper would often get the better of her, but he wouldn't let her spill any vital information. He threw a look over his shoulder, and saw embarrassment written all over her face. She probably would've stopped talking even if he hadn't given her a signal. It was bad luck to have her here, of all people. The snake always made it personal for her.

"So you started to investigate," Kakashi prompted.

Suigetsu nodded. "Yeah, we did. We told Sasuke too, so he also went looking around. He's in Grass country right now."

"And you're all the way over here. You think Orochimaru's reach could be that great?" Shikamaru asked.

Suigetsu snorted derisively. "You don't?"

"Do you think he's taking these people himself? Or is he using sound shinobi?" Kakashi asked.

Suigetsu shrugged. "I don't know. We don't see him much, he might as well be running around the continent for all we know. It's not as though he can't disguise himself."

Or steal a body, if the situation called for it. Just thinking about it made the hairs on the back of Kakashi's neck stand up. He remembered another time, another place-the cold cellar, the darkness lurking just behind the pillars surrounding them, and the full force of Orochimaru's killing intent bearing down on him.

Well. That had been a long time ago. A lot had happened since then.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully to himself. He couldn't use any of his usual dogs, but… There were other options to get a message out. Cutting his thumb open on a knife, he separated some chakra from what he was using for the prison technique, and channeled it into a summoning. A moment later, a lean, pale Greyhound appeared before him. He hadn't used her in _years_.

He took a file from one of his pockets and popped open the top. Familiar with the procedure, the dog immediately put her nose to it and started sniffing. "Miki, I need you to find Uchiha Sasuke. Tell him I found his fish, and want to know what the old snake is up to. Go as quick as you can." Kakashi said.

Miki nodded, and turned tail. Kakashi watched her long gait- she was as quick as ever.

"His _fish_? _His_ fish?" Suigetsu squeaked indignantly.

From behind him, Kakashi could hear Shikamaru mutter, "should I be worried he has people's scent markers in his pocket?" Which was answered by Sakura's, "don't worry, he's always weird like this."

"I'm electing to ignore that," Kakashi said. ( _"Ears like a bat!")_

"So, those experiments?" Kakashi continued, "we're on the same side here, Suigetsu. We're none of us friends of Orochimaru."

"Yeah, but we're not exactly allies either, are we?" Suigetsu said sullenly.

"We're all on Sasuke's side, though," Sakura said gently.

"And _definitely_ anti-snake," Anko added. She had turned up her collar, hiding her curse Mark from view. She hadn't done that for two years at least. Kakashi made a note to ask her later whether it was paining her.

Suigetsu looked from one to the other with something like disbelief. "How on earth did someone like Sasuke end up with allies?" He snickered softly to himself. "If you've got more of those fancy dogs, though, we can keep each other up to date. You tell me what you know, I tell you what I know."

Kakashi had no idea just how loyal Suigetsu really was to Sasuke; would it hold up against interrogation, if Orochimaru captured him? There was no way Kakashi could justify a complete exchange of information, particularly not since he was a _Kage_ and Suigetsu a former enemy.

"Or you could be my informant, and send _me_ what _you_ find," he said, coldly enough to make his team straighten up, "and in return I'll let you go."

The walls of the chakra prison lit up briefly, and hummed with killing intent.

Suigetsu met his eyes again. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "You're a cold bastard too, aren't you?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows briefly in acknowledgment. "I can be."

Suigetsu calculated his odds. Then he nodded. "Okay. But only because Sasuke trusts you. Don't go thinking I'm Konoha now."

Kakashi let his stern expression melt away into a bright smile. "I wouldn't dream of it." With that, he finally released the prison jutsu. His chest ached faintly in response, as it often had since he was poisoned, but it was merely a faint echo compared to what it had felt like a few months earlier.

Suigetsu slowly got up out of his crouch, and reached out with his hands to touch the air around him. When he was certain the prison was truly gone, he tilted his chin up at them. "Who's to say I won't just run away, and never tell you anything again?"

"The fact that you're asking that question at all. That, and you want Orochimaru stopped just as much as we do. It's not as though he did you any favors, during your stay there."

It was a guess, but Kakashi's suspicion was confirmed by Suigetsu's flinch. Yet another one of Orochimaru's experiments, just like Tenzou, Anko, and the rest of Sasuke's ragtag band of misfits. They liked to act tough, but no one could shake off the effects of childhood abuse like it was nothing. Not for the first time, Kakashi was glad he had never fallen into Orochimaru's hands as a boy.

Suigetsu huffed in annoyance. "Fine. But I want to know where the old bastard is at. No way I'm sticking around to find out what he does to traitors."

If Orochimaru really was involved, things could get ugly. Which meant Gaara needed to be warned.

"One last question. These disappearances, where were they taking place? And how often?" Kakashi asked.

Suigetsu reluctantly picked a scroll from his pouch. He tossed it at Kakashi. "This is a map of the locations. The dates are written next to them. Guess I can tell you taught Sasuke-he was thinking along the same lines. You want to look for patterns, right?"

So the kid wasn't as stupid as he looked. "Something like that. Thank you." Kakashi smiled again as he pocketed the map. "It just goes to show how valuable a nice stroll through the forest can be; before you know it, you've picked up a new informant."

Sakura snickered. Suigetsu scowled again. " _Alright_ , I'm off. You're even more annoying than he is. And remember, you didn't get it from me! I don't want him after me!"

"Don't we all?" Anko muttered as they watched Suigetsu disappear into the woods again. "We should've guessed he'd be behind this. It's exactly what he would do."

"Is it, though?" Sakura asked. "I mean, I know he has a history of kidnapping people, but entire settlements? And so close to a major village? Would he really be that sloppy? Besides, we don't even know if this attack was related to the Ashihara's disappearance. "

Exactly. Kakashi gave her a little smile. "Even so, we can't pretend it's not a possibility. And if he is active again, we'll have to act on it. He's hurt too many people already. If it's not him, we've got a new problem on our hands. Owl, Sakura, I want you two investigate the village and its surroundings further. Send me regular reports. The rest of you go back with me to Sunagakure."

Yuugao tilted her head forward, and although he couldn't see her face, Kakashi had a strong suspicion she was smiling. "Are we going on a hunt, sir?"

"Heck of a hunt," Shikamaru said.

"It won't be easy, if it even is him," Sakura said. "No one even knows where his current base lies."

"It'll be worth it, though," Anko said. As she spoke, she drew her collar aside to show the irritated skin around her curse mark. "It'll be worth it."

* * *

 _Naruto_ ,

 _Return to Konoha posthaste. I'm sorry to cut your vacation short, but I need someone back home capable of taking on a potential S-rank threat. Will let you know more soon._

 _Kakashi._

* * *

 **AN:**

 **What do you think? Is it really Orochimaru, or a fake? Could he really make such an obvious mistake?**

 **Next chapter** **, Sakura gets into a fight and Kakashi gets to flex his political muscles. Troublesome…**

 **So, a couple of people have commented on the relative lack of reviews on both this story and its prequel. All I can say is that it's entirely out of my hands, and I'm already pretty happy with what I do get. That said, please do tell people about my stories, or share them online! If you don't feel comfortable doing so, please don't, but if you don't mind and want to help me gain some awareness for the stories, I would really appreciate it :) comments are the best kind of writing fuel, and the more the merrier!**

 **I also wanted to say** **I'm still taking prompts for missing scenes from Uneasy lies the Head** **. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see! (Aside from Kakashi telling his students about his past, because I've already received that request a couple of times). These missing scenes will be posted in the missing scenes story you can find in my profile (currently titled nighttime talks).**


	5. Blue

**Chapter 5. Blue Eyes**

* * *

The gates of Sunagakure cast a deep shadow over the sand. It was approaching noon and even though it was autumn, the heat was cranking up. The gates were solid and unmoving, but up top its guards were arguing.

Kakashi sighed.

"So, what's the holdup?" Shikamaru asked. Out of all of them, he was probably the most comfortable in the heat. Not only did he have the natural advantages of dark hair and eyes, he also had the benefit of experience; he'd visited the village more often than most, so he'd simply grown used to the heat.

"Mahh, they're debating whether it's possible for us to be impersonators, since we only just left and they weren't expecting us back," Kakashi drawled, and shifted his weight to his right leg. His left eye was starting to sting. The new eye was more sensitive to light than his right one was, and usually started to ache with a vengeance when exposed to sudden flashes. Turning on the bathroom light at night was particularly awful. On the upside, it wasn't a gaping hole in his skull and he could see through it, so all things considered he would take the sensitivity.

Next to him, Anko snorted. "They realize we can just walk up the walls, right?"

"You'd expect so."

"Actually, Gaara booby-trapped them. Well, Baki, Ebizou and Gaara," Shikamaru explained. "You'd be burned alive if you tried."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. Burning alive was generally a bad thing. "How high is the perimeter? They can hardly seal the entire village."

"I'm not sure. High enough that you can't just jump over."

Anko pulled a face. "Permission to give them a good scare, Rokudaime?"

" _Please_ stop calling that. And no, don't." He could just about picture the diplomatic horror of trying to explain why Sunagakure's guards had found themselves surrounded by snakes, or something even worse. Anko had a vivid imagination. He squinted at her. "You _do_ know the meaning of diplomatic, right?"

She shrugged, with the air of a person who was distantly aware she was doing something bad but couldn't really be bothered about it. "I wouldn't have done anything too bad. They're just being rather stupid. Why not check our chakra signatures, or call for a higher up? They're a bunch of greenhorn chunin. Look at them. Wet behind the ears."

The guards _did_ look a little young. And overwhelmed. And very nervous. Anko's predatory looks weren't helping.

"At ease, Anko. I'll get you something to do once we're in," he said, improvising.

"Reconnaissance?" She said, perking up.

"Something like that." Needling the Council members for information, perhaps. Shikamaru hadn't been able to provide much more than what Gaara had already told him. Anko often worked for the interrogation department; she could definitely be of use there.

It probably wasn't very ethical to keep such close tabs on an allied village, but people had been drilling the importance of knowledge into his head since he'd been able to walk. The more he knew, the more he'd be able to use to protect his village. Even if Gaara wouldn't like it. After all, a rebellion in Suna could potentially cost Konoha their most loyal ally. _Gaara_ was the glue that kept the two villages together. If he was replaced…

A moment later, a young brunette chunin came down from the wall and gave them a quick, nervous bow. "I apologize for the delay, Hokage-sama. I know it's terribly impolite to make you wait."

"You should know how often he makes us wait," Anko muttered, too softly for the girl to hear.

"Are you going to let us in?" Kakashi gave her his best squinty eye smile, the one he reserved for getting what he wanted.

"I – yes, of course! I'm so sorry. It's just that we couldn't reach any of our commanding officers –"

Shikamaru opened his mouth to respond to this, but Kakashi silenced him by raising a hand. "Thank you, chunin-san. You've been most helpful."

Finally, finally, the great gates opened, creaking like an old man's knees. Kakashi and his party quickly went through. People were still bustling around so there obviously hadn't been an attack, but not all was right with the world: Baki, Gaara's former teacher and current jonin commander, awaited them, along with two other jounin.

"Hokage-sama," the three bowed.

" Baki-san. I can't say I was expecting you," Kakashi said.

Baki smiled tightly. "We could tell you the same thing. We thought you would be nearing Grass country by now. Did anything go wrong?"

Kakashi didn't trust the look on Baki's face. Actually, he wasn't sure he trusted the man at all, given that he had played a part in Sunagakure invading Konoha during the exams all those years ago. Just because Gaara trusted him… Gaara was young, after all.

"Mahh, nothing for you to worry about," Kakashi said lightly, as though he wasn't speaking to the village's second in command. Baki's face twitched at the implied insult.

"That said, there is something I wished to discuss with your Kazekage. Something I forgot to tell him." Kakashi continued.

Baki gave him a thin-lipped stare, the unfortunate side effect from being ruthlessly put to the side. Undermining the Jounin Commander's authority right in front of his troops. Whoops.

"Of course. Although if you forgot, how important can it be?" Baki said.

Kakashi only smiled, but noted the calculating look in Baki's dark eyes. "Who knows? Please, lead the way." Putting a bit of pressure on Baki might be just the thing.

Baki bowed again, and started to lead them towards the Kage tower. The other two Jounin fell in at their flanks, like watchful shadows. Kakashi had the fortune of looking at Anko just as she pulled a face at one of them.

Shikamaru seemed bemused, if anything. "We know the way," he drawled. "There's no need for an escort."

"This is not one of your clandestine visits, Nara-san," Baki said curtly. "This is an unexpected visit from the Hokage. We are merely following protocol."

Which meant there were probably more shinobi shadowing them. If Kakashi tried, he could probably sense them. That wasn't really Gaara's style, though. Gaara had given them free reign of the village. He'd hardly take it back a mere few hours after they'd left. Such a tight escort was old-school. Which meant this was Baki's decision, not Gaara's.

So, right now Baki probably held more authority than he usually did, suggesting Gaara probably had his hands full already. Why else would he delegate such a simple task to someone else? Kakashi couldn't help but be reminded of Fox, and the poison. Had someone gone after Gaara? No – he would have already known, read it in the lines on Baki's face. Baki was stressed, yes, but not worrying about the future of his village. Something less life-threatening had happened, then.

His suspicion was confirmed when Baki led them straight to the Council room, where a pair of voices were rising steadily as they fought to be heard. They were getting loud enough to be painful to the ear. One would almost miss the eye-searing sunlight.

Shikamaru tensed; Temari's was one of the loudest voices.

The other voice belonged to the councilmember who had argued with them every step of the way this past week. His name, if Kakashi remembered correctly, was Yamada Isao. He was the head of one of Sunagakure's oldest clans, a proud man with dark hair and fierce facial tattoos, who was in possession of remarkably sharp, tense chakra that seemed to vibrate with his every word.

"– But you didn't tell us, you didn't, you _lied_ , and people could have died!" He shouted, focusing most of his rage at Gaara and his siblings. Some of Yamada's fellow clansmen stood by his side, equally seething.

They weren't the only ones though. The entire council seemed restless, and angry. Only Gaara was calm. He didn't speak, only watched as his siblings and a handful of others defended him.

"Yamada-dono is rather… Fanatical, but he is not wrong," another councilmember was saying, one of the older men. "The fact that we have not been alerted of a threat so close to our village… It is alarming, Kazekage-sama."

"Oh boy. This is going to be troublesome," Shikamaru muttered during a brief lull in the conversation, and inadvertently drew the Council's attention to their presence.

The Council members finally seemed to agree on something, namely that shutting up and staring at Kakashi and his group as though they had grown second heads was a great idea.

The silence was broken by Temari's puzzled, "Shikamaru? Why –"

Gaara rose to his feet. His chair scraped over the floor and several heads whipped back into his direction. "Hokage-sama. You surprise me."

Kakashi smiled. "And yet, you look remarkably unsurprised by our presence. Did a little bird tell you?"

"Technically, it was a floating eyeball," Gaara said dryly, referring to his preferred surveillance method. This remark caused a great deal of consternation amongst his Council members as they began to realize he'd been inspecting his village while listening to their tirade, which wasn't exactly common Council protocol.

"Kazekage-sama, this is important –" one of the women began.

"Yes it is, but I suspect the Hokage didn't return to our village for another cup of tea," Gaara interrupted her. He was still entirely at ease, despite the chaos in the room. Kakashi could certainly admire that.

"Indeed not. A word in private, perhaps?" Kakashi said, and smiled when the protest rose up again (" _More_ secrets? MORE secrets?" Yamada was shouting).

Gaara nodded, and raised his hand. Immediately, sand rushed up around their feet and swept them away from the Council room before anyone could protest. For a moment there was only the rush of air against his face, and Gaara's cool hand gripping his arm. Then they re-materialized.

"Neat trick," Kakashi said, as he brushed sand off of his clothes. He took in his new surroundings; the whole of Sunagakure lay spread out beneath them, and, _of course_ , the sunlight was once again glaring in his eyes. They were on top of the Kage tower, which did seem like a rather nicely dramatic scene for a meeting between two heads of state.

"So, they figured out the Ashihara nomads went missing, then?" He asked, and turned his back towards the sun by leaning against the rooftop's banister.

Gaara sighed and nodded. "I don't know how they discovered it. One of the shinobi set to guard the nomads must have told them, even though I made sure not to pick anyone from a major family…"

"Hmm, free will is inconvenient for sure," Kakashi said dryly. "They must've had friends or lovers in one of the families. Just one would do; if your Council really is as discontent as you say, they would probably embrace any kind of excuse to attack you."

Gaara gave him a thoughtful, clearly discontent, look. "I had hoped it would not come this far…"

"Why are they this dissatisfied?" Kakashi said, "is it really just bigotry?"

Gaara huffed and dropped his shoulders. So he _had_ been tense, he had just been hiding it. "I'm trying to push through a major new regulation. They know I'll eventually manage, and they don't like it one bit."

"Sounds familiar. What sort of regulation?"

Gaara hesitated, and then shrugged. "There are many talented people outside of the village like the Ashihara nomads. I wish to open our gates and offer them a place to live and work. The Council does not."

Kakashi frowned. "Sunagakure doesn't recruit from outside the village? I'm guessing the nomads weren't very popular..?"

"Popular enough that their disappearance caused a stir, but before today their well-being was rarely on the minds of my Council," Gaara said, with a wry twist to his mouth. "Perhaps we are more old-fashioned than Konoha."

Kakashi smiled faintly and leaned with his back against the nearest banister. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes. "Seems to me you're doing a good job modernizing things."

Gaara inclined his head. "Not quite good enough, though. Now, you'd better tell me why you came back. What could be so important?"

Kakashi opened one eye and let out a long breath. Without further hesitation, he told Gaara about what they had found. "Obviously it's a stretch, but if Orochimaru really is involved it could get nasty very quickly. He's growing older, but it would be stupid to underestimate him because of it. Did you know he likes to steal bodies?" He added.

Gaara's response to this little tidbit of information was appropriately horrified, although it only showed in the mild widening of his eyes. "Yes – I believe he used my father's, for a while. Other than that, I've only heard rumors. He was usually only Konoha's problem."

Ah, right – his father had been the previous Kazekage. Sunagakure was practically a monarchy.

"Until the invasion," Kakashi nodded. "I don't have to tell you how strong he is – your father's death is proof enough. Add to that a nasty little predilection for having no moral compass, no sense of empathy, and far too much scientific curiosity, and you end up with a man who used to steal babies and slaughter entire villages just so he might one day obtain immortality."

Gaara sniffed. For a moment, he seemed far away. "Immortality's overrated. Empathy, I have found, is not. Thank you for warning me. If he does plan to move to Wind country, I'm glad that I know upfront."

"If he hasn't moved already. Or perhaps it's not so much a move as an expansion," Kakashi theorized. "The further away from his usual territory, the less likely we might be to suspect him."

Gaara nodded slowly. "And you are sure this informant is reliable?"

"Not entirely, but I didn't want to run the risk. I have two of my group looking for more information right now."

Gaara perked up. "Have they found anything yet?"

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. "Last I heard, they had a lead..."

* * *

It started with footsteps. A pattern of two steps, quick, and a third, sliding across rough textured bark.

Owl held up her hand, her first two fingers extended. ANBU finger signs for _stop, two potential assailants nearby_. Sakura hadn't been able to place where the footsteps had come from. Since she wasn't as good as sensor as Owl, she kept her eyes open and her chakra at the ready, spreading it out in a net around her so she'd be able to catch movement once their opponents got close enough.

Owl moved first. She slipped her blade from its sheath, the faint hiss of steel on steel the only sound as she rushed into the foliage. Within seconds, she was out of sight.

The forest was quiet again.

Sakura swallowed. She wasn't nervous, exactly; there were few who could match her in one-on-one battle. That said, she wasn't used to _this kind of battle_ , where you didn't see your opponent until they were inches away from sliding their blade through your heart. This was the world of ANBU, and it scared her.

There; that same patter of footsteps. Two quick, light steps, and then the slide. A flash of purple as Owl leapt past her. The clash of two blades, and there, finally, a hint of chakra. Sakura smirked, and narrowed in on that chakra signature she'd finally found.

Sunagakure might have its desert, but Konoha had trees. Sakura could move through them like other people moved on flat land. Genin made a sport out of who could maneuver through them the quickest and flashiest (Kiba always won). Whoever her opponent was, he wasn't as quick; Sakura was catching up fast.

A man slipped around a particularly large and gnarly oak. She only caught a flash of pale blue eyes and brown, shaggy hair before he twisted his body and seemed to disappear into thin air. Teleportation?

He reappeared at her side, accompanied only by the sound of his blue robe unfurling as he twisted towards her. Her eyes were instinctively drawn towards the bright fabric. Still, she raised her left arm and blocked his foot as it went for her face.

He landed and twisted away into nothingness again. She turned around, and thought back to what Tsunade had once told her. When fighting a shinobi faster than you, always…

His fist connected with her jaw before she could finish her thought. He laughed, an incongruously beautiful and musical sound. Sakura moved with the blow, caught her weight on her left hand and kicked her right foot at his face. Before it connected, he twisted away again.

Sakura forced herself to keep breathing under control. He'd very nearly broken her jaw with that one blow. _When fighting a shinobi faster than you, try to predict their movement_. That was a little hard when the bastard could flit all over the place. Teleportation? Or was he just that fast?

The patter of footsteps again, to her right, and to her left, a furious growl. She ducked purely by instinct, and was then forced out of her tree to avoid the huge white tiger that leapt at her. A summoning animal, it had to be; no real tiger could be that big. It bared its gleaming white teeth in a snarl and launched after her. On the ground, it would be faster.

Another blow connected, this time his foot to her back. The shinobi, making use of his summon animal's distraction. _Stupid_! The blow echoed through her spine like percussion. Something cracked, and pain shot through her back. Chakra instantly flared to life as she poured it towards her back, reinforcing her spine and healing the fissure already running through one of the vertebrae.

Damn.

The Tiger leapt again, but this time Sakura's chakra was roaring to go. She drew back her fist and screamed a challenge. She met the oversized creature halfway in its leap, and caved in its chest cavity with her fist. After the knocks she had taken, the crackle of bone felt distinctly satisfying. The creature disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but not before his summoner launched another attack.

Those blue eyes again, a few shades lighter than Naruto's… And why the hell couldn't she look away? He was in front of her one moment, then behind her the next. Another blow struck her back. Not as damaging as the first, but more disturbing; few people managed to get this many blows in. Tsunade would be angry if she lost.

No way. Time to change the game play.

If she couldn't predict his movement, step two was simply _slow him the hell down_. She gathered up chakra in her fist again. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder, and saw that the man was nearing her again. Still smirking, that arrogant asshole. This time, Sakura smirked back.

She threw her fist at the earth, and _shattered_ it. Earth split up and cracked, jagged rocks shooting up in every direction. Blue Eyes barely managed to avoid being impaled, and wore an appropriately shocked expression on his face. He certainly wouldn't be able to move around so quickly, now that the once smooth forest floor had been reduced to rubble.

"Your move," Sakura said.

But he was smiling again. Behind her, she heard the footsteps again. Two quick steps, then a sliding foot, and _oh, she'd been such an idiot._ This time, when she twisted around she wasn't surprised to see it was the same tiger as before, too close to dodge. All she could do was throw herself out of its path and try to avoid the worst of the damage. Its massive talons raked across her upper arm, damaging skin and muscle in the process. It _burned_ with pain.

But when she gathered her chakra it was not to heal herself, but to stop its flow. "Kai!"

The genjutsu rippled and broke.

Half a second later, she was on the ground, the tiger hovering over her. Its breath was hot on her face. She was breathing hard. How long had she even been here? How close had she come to this creature simply ripping her throat out while she lay confounded by the illusion Blue Eyes had cast on her?

Her anger at herself transformed into furious chakra and a matching expression. The tiger's eyes widened, and it disappeared into thin air just before Sakura could cave its chest in again. Good. It knew to fear her.

Blue Eyes was nowhere to be seen. He had cast his illusion and run off.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" Owl appeared from a nearby tree. There was blood on her sword, but her uniform was intact and her mask pristine. Sakura felt heat rush to her face as she got up. How embarrassing, to fail like this around the elite of the elite.

She pulled up her nose, and forced herself to meet Owl's eyes-or, well, where Sakura thought her eyes were-because even if she had lost this battle, she hadn't turned into a coward. She wouldn't run away from a chastisement. "I'm fine," she growled.

"You're bleeding."

Sakura looked down at her right arm. It seemed not everything had been an illusion. It was hard to raise her arm at all, which indicated her muscles had been damaged. With an annoyed growl, Sakura called up her chakra again and began to heal the deepest damage. Owl helped her put a tourniquet in place with firm, practiced moves.

"Did you get yours?" Sakura asked, when she had her breath back and the world slowly resumed at its normal pace.

Owl nodded. "Taijutsu user. It was something of a mismatch," she said, sounding rather satisfied. She tapped her blade and began to clean it with a piece of old cloth. "I think you got his boss. Did he use genjutsu?"

"Yes. And I should've seen it. There's always a marker in genjutsu, something that gives it away. According to Kakashi-sensei, that's your subconscious trying to warn you. But I didn't catch it in time," Sakura said, bowing her head. She was hurt and now she was slowing down mission, even though she was supposed to be one of the village's strongest. That hurt more than the wound to her arm.

Owl was quiet for a moment. She seemed more at ease in the forest than she had been in the village, and there had been something that almost resembled joy in her movement when she fought. This, the darkness and the subterfuge, this was her element. Fighting Akatsuki had made it easy to forget there are multiple kinds of battle in the world.

"It's alright," Owl said eventually. "Genjutsu is rare these days. It was less so a few years back, so we got more practice in. It seems people prefer ninjutsu now."

Sakura blinked. She was pretty sure Owl was around Kakashi's age, or even a little bit younger. She had to mean the third ninja war when she said 'a few years back'. "I know it's hard to master, so… Did people really use it more often in the war?"

"Yes. It was an effective way of covering an escape route for obtaining information, so it was worth the hassle. Information gathering was vital, back in those days. Which reminds me, did you see a headband?"

Sakura could have slapped herself. "I didn't even think to check – no wait, I think he was distracting me on purpose. I couldn't look away from his clothes, and his eyes, or anything else that was blue… That must've been a part of the illusion."

Owl nodded. "Genjutsu is very efficient at distracting people, keeping them from looking where they're not supposed to look. It's likely how he kept you from noticing the marker. Don't feel too bad; you'll get him next time."

So could ANBU read minds, or was Owl just more sensitive to other people's moods than the other ANBU Sakura knew? Then again, the people in question were _Kakashi_ and _Sai_ , so maybe…

Reassurances or not, Sakura knew she wouldn't let herself forget this. She also had to press Kakashi for more lessons when she got back. For now, though, she could ask Owl. Even though she was a sensory and weapons expert, she was clearly also a very experienced and knowledgeable shinobi. Sakura would certainly be able to learn from her.

She took a deep breath and still herself. "Please, take the lead. Where do we go next?"

If Owl was surprised to be appointed leader, she didn't show it. She nodded, and settled into a crouch. "First, we'll see if I can still sense them…"

* * *

Of _course_ that troublesome Hokage would just up and leave right after he'd caused a riot. Shikamaru really shouldn't have been surprised by, at this point. He let out a deep sigh, and prepared himself for battle.

Next to him, Temari was scowling. "What the hell?" She said, barely audible over the arguing council members. "What's that crazy Kage of yours up to now? Don't you see we have a crisis of our own going on?"

It was nice to know Konoha's _esteemed_ leader was known as 'that crazy Kage' up here. It really inspired confidence.

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "Trust me, we have a good reason. In fact, I'm not sure we have time to deal with these idiots. What's their problem, anyway?"

"They discovered the nomads went missing, first, and then one of the others heard about the hospitalized jonin. It snowballed from there," Temari said, narrowing her fierce green eyes at the Council members in question. "It's one thing that they're mad, but _this_ mad? When what we need most is unity? These old geezers drive me mad!"

Shikamaru grimaced. Somewhere behind them, Kankuro had resorted to physically holding one councilmember back from attacking another. Yamada Isao had, from the look of things, punched one of his colleagues. The whole thing was starting to remind Shikamaru of a Friday night at Rock Lee's favorite tavern. There was even an old wench in the corner shaking her fist threateningly at the rest of the company. Shikamaru would've pinched the bridge of his nose again, except he was still holding it. He groaned. Perhaps he should do something –

"All right, that's enough! Sit down, shut up, and listen to me!" Temari roared. With a gust of chakra, she pulled her fan from her back and whipped it in the direction of the council members. The burst of winds that followed it was enough to upend most of them. Only the old lady managed to keep her feet, somehow.

As far as managing group gatherings went, though, it was pretty effective. Shikamaru would definitely have to consider something similar for Konoha's own council, once it was elected. He had a feeling they would need it.

The council members were still blinking in shock as Temari took the center of the room and gave them her best authoritative look (which did funny things to Shikamaru's heart).

"Listen up! Gaara is your Kazekage! You know as well as I do that he only wants the best for his village, and for your people. If he doesn't tell you something, it's for a damn good reason!" Temari shouted. "Konoha is our ally. We can't just pretend like this is fifty years ago, and they're going to betray us – they never would! Wake up, we're living in a new world!"

Her speech was followed by a short silence, possibly because most of the council members hadn't recovered from the miniature hurricane that had bowled them all over, or maybe because it had just been that epic a speech. Shikamaru was possibly biased. The old lady from before was giggling somewhere in the corner.

Yamada Isao, of course, was the first to open his mouth. "Pretty words won't change the past! Gaara may be our leader, but that doesn't mean we should just follow him blindly, or trust the Hokage just because he does. We would be fools to do so!"

A couple of heads nodded their agreement. Temari gave them her sternest look, which at least silenced the meeker ones amongst them. Yamada was unfazed, though. He stared right back, his tattooed face stern.

"If I might make a suggestion," a shaky old voice said from behind Shikamaru, "I would say everyone should take a seat, and speak calmly instead of shouting. Aren't we all Suna shinobi?"

Shikamaru whirled around – he hadn't even felt a presence. The voice belonged to old man Ebizou, the oldest councilmember of them all.

"Ebizou-sama- why are you here? We thought you were ill! You should constrain yourself –"

"I'm fine. And look what a mess you all made in my absence? It's a good thing I came after all!" Ebizou said, his voice sharp enough to cut steel. "Such dissent in the Council? It's unheard of!"

A few more of Yamada's followers dipped their heads in shame, until only Yamada and his clansman were left. Their faces were still angry, but they kept silent.

Ebizou gave a satisfied nod as everyone took their seats again. "That's more like it. Let's all behave like adults and decide instead how we should respond to this threat."

One of the men stood up to protest. "But without the Kazekage –"

Ebizou raised one bristly eyebrow. "Weren't we supposed to think for ourselves? Either way, he will be back soon and we will be able to present him with our plans. How about it?"

Shikamaru couldn't quite hide the smirk that crept up on his face. When Temari came to stand next to him again, he nudged her softly. "The old man is good. Where have you been hiding him?"

"He's supposed to be in retirement, but obviously his word still holds a lot of weight here," Temari said. "He's right, though," she added, raising her voice. "Let's make ourselves useful!"

Slowly but surely, the Council settled. Some of them still grumbled little, but even Yamada yielded to Ebizou's authority.

When no one stepped up to begin the discussion, Shikamaru steel himself and pointed at the large map of wind country that decorated the wall. "Please, tell me where all of the attacks of taken place, and also where other nomad or refugee populations live. Perhaps together, we can puzzle out which other places might be attacked."

Some of the council members gave him distrustful looks.

"And who might you be?" Yamada asked.

"I am –"

"You are Nara Shikaku's boy, aren't you?" Ebizou asked, surprising Shikamaru. The old man turned to the Council room. "Nara Shikaku, who died saving your lives! Listen to this boy."

Shikamaru swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. Some of the council members refused to meet his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, if we could focus…"

Slowly but surely, the Council began to work together to puzzle out the mystery. It wasn't until halfway through that Shikamaru realized he had no idea where Anko had gone…

* * *

 **AN:**

 **if you enjoyed this, please leave a comment!:) I don't bite, and you'd really make my day!**

 **I have to admit I'm having some trouble with motivating myself to write for this story. You could help me get through this funk by suggesting missing scenes which I could write, either for this story or its prequel! (Please don't suggest the scene where Kakashi tells team seven about his past, it has been suggested by many people before.)**

 **EDIT: I've decided to pretty much completely change what I had in mind for the storyline, and it's gotten me excited again. Hang tight, I think it'll be pretty exciting.**

 **What did you think the chapter? Where do you think Anko went off to, and what are our two crazy kage's planning?**

 **Next update may be a little slow due to the holidays.**


	6. Footsteps in the Dust

**Chapter 6. Footsteps in the Dust**

* * *

Kakashi took in the scene before him, and gave them his best unimpressed look. "So you guys took over the council in the five minutes we were gone?"

Shikamaru, Temari and Ebizou looked entirely unrepentant.

Temari gave them a particularly challenging look, with her chin in the air and her hands in her sides. "We weren't getting anywhere, so I figured I'd step in for you two were off doing who knows what," she said.

At her side, Shikamaru was still pinching his eyebrows. He looked like he'd been doing it for a while.

"So you used a wind jutsu. Indoors." Gaara said dryly, eyebrows (or lack thereof) raised at the rather disheveled council members. They did rather look like a hurricane had just passed through – that, or they'd all decided to style their hair like Kakashi's. Kakashi had to admit the latter was not particularly likely.

"Well, for all that it was a big hassle, we did actually figure some things out," Shikamaru said, pointing at a map behind him. He'd placed several pins in it, marking three locations throughout the East of Wind Country. One of them the fortress near the border, one of them the nomad settlement, and one the location where the jounin must have been jumped.

Kakashi eyed Shikamaru and wondered how much he'd told them.

Shikamaru didn't flinch under his gaze. "Obviously, there have been enough occurrences to really signify a pattern. We're going to have to collect some more data. All we can be sure of is that all these locations were remote."

Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and nodded thoughtfully.

Gaara glanced up at him. "Sawada-san, the jounin who was attacked, didn't carry a headband. They might have mistaken him for a rogue," he said quietly.

Remote places; refugees, nomads and rogues, people their attackers must've thought no one would miss. But Gaara had noticed. And so had Kakashi.

"Well, better figure out their next likely target, then," Kakashi said lightly.

Finally, the rowdy councilmember from before, Yamada, spoke up. "Kazekage-sama, surely we can handle this by ourselves."

Gaara leveled him with a stare. "You would tell the Hokage what to do?"

Yamada backpedaled very quickly under that frigid look. "I – no, obviously not –"

"As you question my actions, too," Gaara said unrelentingly. "While I appreciate you thinking for yourself, Yamada-san, it is not actually part of your job. We will handle this as _we_ see fit."

Yamada ducked his head.

"Perhaps we had better take a break from the Council meeting," Ebizou spoke up. All around, people sagged in relief. Gaara nodded his assent.

Slowly, the Council members began to leave the room. Only Yamada hesitated and stopped near Ebizou to whisper something into his ear. Ebizou's face remained unreadable.

* * *

Mitarashi Anko had gone on many missions in her life, but there were few she enjoyed as much as the ones where she got to sneak around and do vaguely illegal things. Better yet, this was a mission where she got to sneak around in a _former_ _enemy village_. First of its kind, which made her a pioneer.

With Konoha at peace it seemed like all the good missions had disappeared. It was all just "kick some bandit ass, escort this old fart somewhere, build a couple of houses" and although kicking bandits around was good fun for a while, a kunoichi in the prime of her life needed a bit more excitement.

She would hardly be killed if anyone caught her, but it would be trouble for the Hokage. Although it would be fun to watch Kakashi sweat a little, it wasn't really the done thing, was it? Anyway, the threat of being caught added a bit of excitement and Anko had always enjoyed a good thrill.

All of this was a good distraction from thinking about her former teacher reentering the stage, too. Last she heard, the old bastard saved Uchiha Sasuke's life and slithered back to his lair. Back then she'd thought, just for a moment, _perhaps there's something left of the man I thought I knew_.

But he could have saved a dozen lives, and still have destroyed a thousand. There was only so much you could excuse a man for.

She shook her head. Better to stay focused on the mission at hand.

Yamada Isao's house hadn't been very hard to find. In fact, all she'd had to do was find a kid with tattoos like his and follow him home from school. The Yamada clan were a close-knit bunch and all lived together in the same compound. It was a rather cheerful place, filled with children and old women knitting on porches. The houses were decorated with brightly painted window blinds and colorful woven mats that hung from the balconies to dry after a good wash.

There weren't a lot of places to hide, so Anko had to take take things slow. She'd never been ANBU, but she'd learned a thing or two from the old snake. A simple genjutsu would divert attention from her, and so long as she stuck to the shadows and cloaked her chakra, few would notice her. Besides, it was the middle of the day; most of the adults would be away at work, and those who were left behind would hardly be on guard in their own home.

The little bit of Intel she had gathered beforehand told her Yamada Isao was married, with two young children. They were too young to be at the Academy and their mother was working, so they would likely be at some kind of daycare. That would give Anko a moment to slip into their house and do some more research.

She searched out a group of women sitting together in a more secluded part of the compound. Judging by their signatures they were civilians, which meant it was very easy to place them under a simple genjutsu. All it did was nudge their conversation in a slightly different direction as their thoughts began to drift, and suddenly they were telling her all about what pretty purple markings "Isao-san" had recently painted over his door. She was in his house before the illusion even released the two women.

As expected, the house was empty. It was a rather cozy place, with the walls painted a bright and cheerful yellow that contrasted sharply with their owner's gloomy demeanor. Children's toys were scattered across the floor, and she had to avoid a high chair to reach a small cabinet against the wall. She crouched next to it and quickly checked it for chakra markers before she touched the wood. She frowned when she found none, and went to explore the rest of the house. It would have been far too convenient for him to hide any incriminating documents in his living room, anyway.

She searched through every corner of the house and even got a few of her snakes to help her out, their little tongues flicking out in search of interesting scents. They were usually uncommonly good at sniffing out hollow floorboards and hidden compartments, but it seemed Yamada Isao had nothing to hide.

Or… Perhaps he did. As Anko watched, one of her snakes snuck into the small crib stashed in a corner of one of the children's bedrooms. The child seem to have outgrown it, although she obviously still played with it judging by the number of dolls lying in the little bassinet. The snake was more interested in the bottom of the crib, though, hissing at it.

"What's wrong?" Anko strode across the room and grabbed the little crib, turning it over.

"There is chakra inside," the snake hissed.

Anko narrowed her eyes, flipped a long flat blade from her boot, and carefully cut open the bottom of the crib, following the seams so her interference would be less obvious afterwards. What she wouldn't give for Byakugan. When she opened it, she got her answers.

Inside the seam, someone had sown in a rusty old key, shimmering with chakra.

Somewhere downstairs, the door suddenly fell shut.

* * *

They had waited until only Gaara, Shikamaru, Temari, Ebizou and Kakashi were left behind. Then, Shikamaru finally spoke up.

"So, where do you think they'll go next? Will they stay in Wind Country?" He asked Gaara.

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he looked at the map. He pointed to a small marker north of Sunagakure. "There's an old watchtower here, dating back to the second great ninja war. My last report says there's a small group of nomads there, also. I've got a few veterans stationed there as well, to keep an eye on things."

His finger moved to the other side of the map, to the southern border. "There are smaller settlements in the South as well. They're not refugees or nomads, but they're poor." His hand moved again. "In the West, we have some farmers and nomads scattered across the land. Not many – most people live near the larger oases up north."

"There's also the fortress near the border, where we went," Kakashi suggested. "The nomads were attacked twice – the refugees at the fortress people might be as well."

"So that leaves us with four potential targets?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru sighed. "Only if you ignore the fact they might also have moved on to another country."

A few years ago, that would have been that. Good riddance to them, let someone else deal with things. It said a lot about the state of the world that no one suggested leaving it be.

"I've got my ANBU and Sakura up in the land of Rivers. Owl is a good tracker, she knows what she's doing. If they're out there, she'll find them," Kakashi offered.

"That just leaves us with the question of who they are," Ebizou said. He made his way over to a nearby chair and sank down, joints creaking.

Kakashi could do with a comfortable chair himself, but _no_ , sitting down in the middle of a dramatic conversation was only socially acceptable for men over fifty. Well, if Icha Icha was to be believed. "I don't suppose we'll find out until we find them," he said.

"This is Fox all over again," Shikamaru muttered, echoing Kakashi's thoughts.

"Fox?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru looked vaguely guilty for bringing it up. "We had a bit of trouble, a couple of months ago. Took us a while to find them," He said carefully.

"So how did you?" She asked.

Shikamaru nodded at Kakashi. "Ask him."

Kakashi waved a hand. "Mahh, I can't give away all our state secrets, but the main reason we were able to catch him is because he made too many mistakes."

"Oh, _that's_ helpful."

"Well, it might be. I mean, what were they trying to do to these nomads? And why did they have to come back? Perhaps it went wrong the first time. Perhaps they had to go back to try again. I'm guessing they didn't mean to let your jounin walk either," Kakashi drawled. "Either way, we know who they prey on and we know that they don't always get it right. It seems to me these guys aren't particularly professional."

He took some satisfaction from Temari's mildly impressed look.

"Which makes Orochimaru a rather less likely target," Gaara said thoughtfully.

Kakashi shrugged. "Let's hope so. In which case, you won't really need me either."

Gaara's face relaxed into a faint smile."Perhaps not. Either way, you might want to stick around until we know for sure."

Kakashi nodded. "What's the plan of attack?"

"I will send patrols to each of the locations we've mentioned, posthaste," Gaara said, opening the door and beckoning a nearby aide. As he did so, he scribbled a few notes on a piece of paper and infused the paper with his chakra. Kakashi had seen the trick before once or twice; the seal was there to ensure the text was only readable to whomever Gaara was addressing. Gaara handed it to the aide. "Take this to the mission desk, as quickly as you can."

The aide nodded and left.

Gaara returned to the room. "I'll get Baki to send out a few additional patrols around the village as well. Hopefully, we'll find something of use."

"KAZEKAGE-SAMA!"

As one, the shinobi turned to the door as they sensed the dangerous, agitated chakra signature of a jounin in his prime. The door slammed open and let in Yamada Isao, dragging Anko by one arm and trailed by a couple of nervous chunin.

"Ouch, jeez, you ass –" Anko was complaining, trying to twist around in his grip. One of her snakes had curled itself around Yamada's arm and bitten down, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect. The Yamada were notorious for creating Suna's infamous puppet poison.

Yamada's face was absolutely furious. "What is this _miscreant_ doing in my house? WELL?"

"Ahh," Kakashi said, as the others turned towards him. This is where things got awkward. "Well, you know, ahh."

Anko finally managed to pull away from Yamada, and shrugged her coat back into place. Her snake released its prey and leapt back to her, curling around her throat and hissing at Yamada. "Sorry, Hokage-sama. I got a bit carried away."

Gaara turned towards him. "She was there on your orders?"

"Mahh, I suppose she was," Kakashi said, "but I assure you no malice was intended."

"It's not exactly polite to go snooping around in your host's home," Temari said, clearly displeased. She glared at Shikamaru, as though he had given the order instead of Kakashi.

Gaara nodded his agreement. "I am curious what you thought to achieve here, by insulting and harassing one of my men," he said, his voice notably colder.

"It's just him being paranoid, ain't it? Anyway, never mind all that," Anko spit out, and drew something from the lining of her pocket. It was an old, rusty key, practically glowing with chakra. She practically pushed it into Yamada's face. "What the hell is this?"

Gaara's expression told Kakashi his interference would definitely be addressed again at some other point, but his pale eyes slid away and locked onto the key. "Well?"

Yamada spluttered. "You can't possibly tell me your siding with _them!_? Your father would never have stood for this –"

"Answer the question. We'll deal with the rest later," Temari snapped.

Yamada blinked at her, like a dog who'd just gotten a stern talking to from its owner. "I – it's for my house –"

"Like hell it is," Anko said, "there were no seals or anything on your house. You weren't expecting interference. This key is for something else."

Yamada's jaw tightened. "And it's no business of yours, is it, you little bi-"

"I think I might be able to help here," Ebizou interrupted him, just in time to avoid catastrophe. "It's all right, Isao-kun. I know story behind that key. I trust you have told no one?"

Yamada faltered. "Ebizou-sama –"

"I know she had no business searching your house, and I'm sure the Hokage will explain his reasoning," here, Ebizou looked at Kakashi from the corner of his eye, "but in regards to that key, we have a confession of our own to make, don't we?"

"I vowed I wouldn't tell anyone," Yamada tried.

"Not even your Kazekage?" Temari said sharply.

Yamada threw her and her brother such a foul look at it was immediately obvious why he hadn't told them. Even so, he tried, "if your father never trusted you with this information, I don't see why I should."

Temari snorted. "Could it have something to do with the fact that he was murdered seven years ago?" She said. Kakashi could just see Shikamaru laying a hand over her wrist, as if to hold her back.

Yamada met her gaze with an equally cold one. "Fine. _Fine_. I will tell you, if it means keeping harpies like this one out of my house from now on," he said, nodding at Anko, who mouthed _harpies_ with a scandalized expression on her face.

Kakashi leaned back against the table. He would explain himself in time, there didn't seem to be any particular rush. He wanted to hear this story first.

Ebizou nodded at Yamada, who looked churlish for one more moment before starting to speak.

"About thirty years ago, during the second great ninja war, Sunagakure strengthened its borders by building fortresses and watchtowers in strategic positions. However, we figured out early on keeping prisoners so close to the borders was dangerous. To that end, my father and the third Kazekage built a prison, hidden away in the desert, where only those aware of its existence would be able to find it. My family was ordered to govern it. However, the war ended only a year later and the prison was shut down and forgotten," Yamada told them, speaking reluctantly.

The room was briefly quiet. Keeping such a large facility hidden must have been immensely difficult, but judging from the surprised expressions on the sand siblings' faces they had succeeded.

"An entire prison complex?" Temari asked softly, still stunned. As she continued, her voice slowly rose in volume. "No one thought to tell us? Like that wouldn't have been useful at some point? Where the hell is this place, anyway?"

Gaara turns towards Kakashi with a thoughtful expression. "Why did you choose to search Yamada-san's house? Did you know about this?"

Kakashi pulled a face. "No, we got lucky there. I must apologize, Gaara, for my obvious interference. I meant to report my findings to you, regardless of what they were. As you can see, Anko hasn't made any attempts to hide her actions or my involvement from you," he began. "When you told me about the issues you've had with your council, I felt it would be the best place to start our investigation. Don't you think it's suspicious, that all these attacks should take place in your country, even though it is protected by you and your shinobi?"

Gaara regarded him patiently. As per usual, his face gave away nothing of his true feelings. "What are you implying?"

"That it's an inside job, Kazekage-dono," Kakashi said. Better to get to the point right away.

Yamada gasped, and even the others looked surprised. Only Shikamaru looked like he'd expected that answer. "It would make sense, if you think about it," he drawled. "People don't just go around attacking shinobi countries unless they're absolutely sure they can get away with it. If someone in the Council was covering for them…"

Yamada had turned distinctly red in the face. "Kazekage-sama, I know we have our differences, but I would never betray you or my country. It has housed my family for generations; this is my home!"

Kakashi shrugged. "If it helps, I believe him. I think us finding the key was just a lucky coincidence. That said, I can't help but wonder why there is a key at all, when the prison has been locked down for so long."

At this question, all eyes turned back to Yamada. He glanced nervously from one to the other before finally settling his gaze on Gaara. "I – I hope you can forgive me. I thought I was helping."

"What have you done?" Gaara asked, his voice darkening.

"One of the boys from my clan found them a few weeks ago. They were struggling in the desert. They wanted to come here, but there were so many of them – too many. I found them a different place," Yamada said desperately.

"Who?" Gaara asked, his chakra crackling like thunder.

"Refugees. They said they were from the Sound village," Yamada said. "You know, Orochimaru's village? But everyone knows those people are mad."

"So you locked them away," Ebizou said, more statement than question. "Oh, Isao-kun – that is not what I asked you to do when I gave you the key, all those years ago."

"You found refugees from the sound village, and didn't tell me," Gaara's eyes were starting to look rather dangerous. If he'd still had his bijuu, Gaara's anger would probably have woken it up by now. "Who are these people? What were they running from?"

Yamada had by now clearly realized he was in trouble. "Civilians. Children. A few chunin too," he added, as if that would make a difference.

"Young people, innocents," Gaara said, striding towards Yamada. "And you locked them into some _prison_ because you were scared they would _hurt_ us?"

"My people are taking care of them!" Yamada argued. "We don't want them to die, and we will eventually let them go, when the time is right –"

"And when, exactly, was that going to be?" Gaara asked, circling Yamada like a vulture. He was smaller, younger and lighter than Yamada, but the older man was shaking. For the first time in years, it wasn't hard to imagine why Gaara had once been feared throughout Sunagakure.

"I – I – I don't know. I'm so sorry."

Gaara gave him a furious look. "Get out. I will deal with your insubordination later. Hokage, here you have your motivation. This must be why Orochimaru's people are here. They're looking for these refugees."

Kakashi nodded. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it wasn't this. This was worse, by far. "And they've already found most of the other nomad groups in your country. And as it turns out, there's also a bunch of inexperienced Suna shinobi sitting right on that prison, like a beacon to any well-trained sensor."

Gaara nodded. "As soon as Orochimaru's group gets close enough to the prison, that will allow them to find their prey."

* * *

In another part of the country, Sakura was thoroughly lost and slowly reaching the point of exhaustion. She eyed her partner uncertainly, afraid to lose face by asking where exactly they were. She wasn't sure Owl knew either; the woman had stopped several times already to retrace her steps or change directions entirely. Owl followed any sign, from broken twigs to footprints in the dirt. The illusionist's chakra signature had disappeared a long time ago.

Still Owl continued, slowing one moment only to suddenly speed up and move at a pace Sakura had a hard time matching. She'd been trained for either short, explosive action, or long, slow struggles, not both at the same time.

"Owl-san, it'll go dark soon. We won't be able to see the tracks," she finally said. That seemed like a more acceptable excuse then saying she was tired.

Owl stopped. She'd pulled up her long hair into a thick ponytail shortly after they left on their search, and strands of her hair now clung to her bare neck. She held a hand up towards the sun. "We've lost them. It seems you weren't the only one that blue-eyed man of yours fooled," she conceded. "Let's make our way back to the fortress, we'll camp there. They'll be happy to have us there after the day they've had."

Sakura nodded. "Is there any chance we'll find them tomorrow?"

"Not unless they come looking for us. How is your arm?"

"It's fine," Sakura said. Enough time had passed that she only felt a faint sting left behind by the memory of torn flesh and muscle. Sometimes, after healing serious injuries, the sensation would linger for hours afterwards, as if her brain hadn't yet realized the wound had been healed.

Owl's stance relaxed. "As expected of Tsunade-sama's prized pupil," she said lightly.

Sakura smiled faintly, but she didn't really feel in the mood for celebration. "We didn't catch them. Sensei will be disappointed." Hell, _she_ was disappointed.

Owl sighed. "It is what it is. They were too clever for us today, but we'll have another shot at them soon, I'm sure." She pulled out a scroll from her pouch and cut open her thumb. She followed it up with a series of hand seals Sakura had often formed herself.

"You have a summoning contract?" Sakura asked.

Owl inclined her head. A small, elegant owl appeared, its claws hooked around her wrist. "This is Fuyumi," Owl said. Fuyumi inclined her pretty little head and showed off her cream and gold feathers. Owl gave Fuyumi instructions, and then the little bird flew off.

"She will see more than we do," Owl said.

"I suppose this explains your codename," Sakura said, as they watched the bird go.

"It's a bit on the nose," Owl admitted. "Although I actually wanted clouded leopards for my summoning contract, but my teacher convinced me owls would be more useful."

" 'Clouded leopard' wouldn't have been a very catchy codename, anyway," Sakura said, trying not to smile. Right now, the only thing that separated this from getting to know a new chunin or jounin colleague was the hard, cold mask hiding Owl's identity and expressions from view.

In the Academy Sakura had been taught ANBU didn't have emotions. Except Owl had been a little girl dreaming of leopards; Sakura could hardly see her as an unfeeling machine. They didn't laugh at silly jokes either, but here Owl was, laughing with a soft, easy chuckle.

Sakura smiled tentatively. "I suppose I would have been 'Slug' if I'd ever joined ANBU."

"Fortunately, ANBU does occasionally stray from naming agents after their pets," Owl said, with a dryness that would have made Kakashi proud.

The rest of the way back passed pretty uneventfully. Sakura tried to interrogate Owl about Kakashi's ANBU codename, of course (because if you did have access to potentially embarrassing blackmail material about someone, you had to at least try), but Owl insisted it had to remain secret. As they continued Sakura threw out a few suggestions of her own, such as 'dog', 'hound', 'wolf', and once her exhaustion began to take over, 'hedgehog' and 'giraffe'. Owl seemed particularly fond of the last one.

"Either way, it's a shame they saw us," Owl said, after they stopped joking around. "Between my mask and your reputation, they now have to know Konoha is involved. Whoever they are. I should've thought of it sooner."

Sakura squirmed. "At least they won't go after the fortress again, right? If they know we're here, they won't risk it."

Owl shrugged. "They might, if they think it's worth it. If they are just ordinary bandits, they'll leave it be. But then ordinary bandits usually can't fool an ANBU and a jounin."

Sakura nodded. An anxious, unsettled feeling came over her like a dark cloud overhead. It didn't leave her for the rest of the evening, even though their reception at the fort was as warm as Owl had predicted. An old woman living with her son and grandchild offered them a straw bed for the night, as well as a bowl of warm stew. The two kunoichi set a clone outside to stand watch.

As Sakura drifted off, the scent of straw mingled with the background noise of crackling embers in the fireplace and villagers talking in the distance. This fortress, she decided, was pretty damn close to what she thought a family home should feel like. Somehow, though, the unsettled feeling from earlier didn't go away.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Happy holidays!**

 **This chapter was a complete pain in the ass to write, but I think I've salvaged it. Will Kakashi get away with his meddling, though?**

 **I also wrote a one-shot about Sakumo, Minato and Kakashi. It's pretty fluffy and happy, go check it out if you're in the mood! It's called "A Warm Impression".**

 **I'd also like to remind you I am on tumblr as hii-raeth. Give me a follow for cool fanart, headcanons, asks and more!**

 **Also, in case you forgot, Owl is Uzuki Yuugao.**


	7. Caged

Chapter 7.

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi woke up earlier than he'd planned. He groaned and pressed his face into the pillow. He hadn't slept much, caught between thoughts of the secret prison and his father's scroll. He turned to look at the annoying little thing. The fabric of his pillow was soft against his bare face and if not for his curiosity, he would have turned around to sleep for a few more minutes. According to the alarm clock, it was only 5 AM. They would leave around 6. Plenty of time to lie in.

But then there was that damn scroll.

Kakashi reached out one arm from his bed. He couldn't quite reach, so he had to stretch until his fingertips touched the paper. He almost pushed the scroll of the bedside table altogether and lunged out of bed to catch it in time. Perhaps that would teach him to stop instinctively keeping his left eye closed after waking up.

He turned the scroll over in his hands a few times as he slowly returned to a more comfortable position. Chakra still lingered inside the scroll. Not so much that he thought it might be dangerous, or even a trap – he was pretty sure all the chakra he felt was part of the seal keeping the scroll close. He turned on the lamp on the bedside table, and studied the seals covering the scroll's cover again. After years of researching sealing techniques, he knew of the existence of just about every sealing technique there was (which wasn't exactly the same thing as being able to use them, unfortunately), but this one eluded him. He recognized symbols, but…

If anything, it was more like a cipher than a classic seal. He tried pushing his own chakra in without any results, and letting a drop of blood for onto the paper hadn't worked either. The outer layer of the scroll was covered in seals, but… There were enough empty spots for a few more characters to be added.

Except if he added them in ink and got it wrong, he wouldn't be able to try again. He didn't think it was unlikely the scroll would destroy its own contents if he thought it wrong. Clearly the people from Sand who had tried to open it had thought so as well, because there were no visible signs of interference on the outer shell. Or… Had they tried at all?

He'd thought of a few options he might try to fill in. His own name, for example, or his mother's – except he had no idea when his father had been imprisoned. For all Kakashi knew, Sakumo had been there long before his birth. Perhaps even before he'd met Kakashi's mother.

In a flash of annoyance, Kakashi tossed the scroll across the room and into his backpack. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, anyway. He got up out of bed and dressed.

Their initial idea had been to go to the prison as quickly as possible, but Gaara had calmly pointed out his position forbade him from leaving whenever he liked. To further complicate matters, it would be a strange world where the Kazekage sent out the Hokage to do his job for him, going deep into Wind Country's territory. The last thoroughly aggravating problem was that Gaara couldn't leave while Kakashi was still in Wind Country; too many shinobi would protest at the presence of such a powerful former enemy in the heart of their country without their own Kage to protect them. In short, the politics of the whole thing were incredibly outdated and annoying. The only solution had been to send out both Kages, and given the circumstances they had decided to both go to the secret prison.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel for Gaara, though. He himself was quite used to not just being able to leave the village whenever he liked from when he'd been a jounin, but it was unthinkable anyone would try to stop him or delay him now that he was Hokage (well, Yamato might try). The amount of red tape bureaucracy Gaara had to deal with was staggering. With the councilmembers and main families so restless, though, this was not the time or place to test Gaara's limits. So they had to wait, much to everyone's consternation.

Kakashi exited his room. Anko, who'd been acting as his bodyguard in Yuugao's absence, sat up immediately, eyes alert. "You're early," she said.

"The early bird gets the worm," Kakashi said, in a mood to annoy people after his own failure with the scroll. "Any word from Naruto?"

She nodded and handed him a small scroll. "He sent this by way of frog."

Kakashi wanted to ask her why she hadn't told him, but the answer came when he saw the scroll had already been opened. He raised an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged and gave him a look reminiscent of a cat who'd just caught a bird but was trying to convince its owner otherwise. "Sakura said to let you sleep," she said.

"Sakura isn't here –" oh – oh wait – "she told you before we left Konoha, didn't she?" He corrected himself.

She grimaced. "It has only been a few months since Fox. Your kids worry."

Kakashi snorted, caught somewhere in between exasperation and affection. He opened Naruto's scroll. It read, "Made it home. No sign of trouble. Brought Killer Bee along, hope you don't mind."

Kakashi sighed, tried to picture Yamato meeting Killer Bee, and immediately felt a little bit better. He hoped Bee would team up with Gai, Yamato would hate that. "Thanks," he told Anko, and burned up the scroll with a simple fire jutsu.

He would have to talk to Sakura, though.

Which reminded him. "I didn't know you took orders from Sakura," he said.

"Well, she does technically outrank me. Anyway, once you're aware someone could break your entire body with a single punch, it doesn't really seem to matter that they were twelve, pink and cutesie only yesterday," Anko said, following him.

"Fair enough."

"Speaking of Pinky," Anko said cheerfully, "is she coming after us? Her and her lovely feathery escort, of course."

"Once they're done, yes."

"You're as talkative as ever, I see," Anko said.

"You know, Anko, I have complained of your being too formal in the past, but there is also such a thing as being too friendly with your Hokage."

"You just don't want to answer me."

The only way to escape Anko and her annoyingly accurate remarks was to walk a little bit faster and pretty much ignore all subsequent questions until they reached their meeting point at the edge of the village. He was pleased to see that the guards on duty on the wall noticed them this time, so he gave them a jaunty little wave.

It wasn't until he'd settled down with his back to the wall that Kakashi realized he wasn't just on time, he was _early_.

He was still a little shocked and trying to puzzle out that particular little mystery by the time Temari and Shikamaru arrived, conveniently together and at the same time. Anko's grin was at least 50% suggestive. Shikamaru ignored her with a firm blush.

"It's unlike you to be early," he told Kakashi instead, which was also annoying because no one else had noticed yet, and now they were all staring at him. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Shikamaru finished.

Kakashi sighed.

It was between jokes about how the world had to be ending and how Kakashi had probably finally run out of porn to read, that Gaara and his escort finally arrived. He had brought his brother, of course, who was looking fierce in his all-black clothes and face paint, as well as Yamada, who had the bearing of a beaten dog. And then, all the way at the end, old Ebizou stood, his usually simple robes exchanged for complicated tangles of fabric and armor in dusty colors. His clothes looked more appropriate for someone fighting in the warring clans era, but it was a good reminder the old man had once been a fierce warrior.

"I know that prison well – I am coming along to see what this fool did with the trust I gave him," Ebizou said harshly, pointing at Yamada. "He will carry me when the going gets tough, so I will not hold you back."

Gaara looked at their group and nodded. "Let us go, then. I expect your people will catch up?" He added to Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded. Anko had already sent them a snake to let Sakura and Yuugao know of the change in plans. "The dog I sent to Sasuke will help them track me."

Gaara paused. "Are you going to involve Sasuke in this as well?"

"If he's in the mood. He knows Orochimaru better than anyone else, but you know what Sasuke is like; he does what he wants."

With that, they started to move. Yamada took the lead, Ebizou strapped to his back like an overgrown limpet. Gaara and his siblings followed immediately after, and then the Konoha shinobi followed right after them. Running through the sand was tiresome, and according to Ebizou it would take them almost two days to reach the prison. Wind Country was vast and largely uninhabited, so it would be a rough journey. The only consolation was that it would be harder still on the Sound shinobi, who did not know the land and had to make do without the benefit of a Suna escort. It would be rough on Yuugao and Sakura as well, but with luck they would be able to catch up before Kakashi's group reached the prison.

He wasn't surprised when Shikamaru came to run beside him, wearing a concerned expression. "Hokage-sama, are you sure you didn't take too large a risk earlier, with Anko?" the young man said between strides.

Kakashi smiled. "It does seem a bit silly of me, doesn't it?"

Shikamaru frowned, suspicion creeping into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi decided to humor him. Shikamaru was undoubtedly one of the best strategists of his age, it wouldn't hurt him to learn a thing or two about subterfuge as well. He'd need it someday, with Naruto as his Hokage.

"Imagined you're Hokage, and you learn one of your closest advisers, a man who happens to have a clan for of warriors at his back, both dislikes and distrust you. You also know there's something weird going on in your country. What do you do?" Kakashi asked.

Shikamaru tilted his head in thought. "I'd… I'd have him investigated, I guess."

"What do you think Yamada would have done if he'd found out the Kazekage he already dislikes ordered someone to spy on him, or investigate his own house?" Kakashi asked, keeping an eye on the man in question to make sure he didn't overhear.

Shikamaru blinked. "He would resent Gaara even more. He could even play up being a victim to other Council members."

"Quite. It wouldn't look very good for Gaara. So I made Gaara a proposal."

Shikamaru leveled him with another look, somewhere in between exasperation and respect. "Gaara already knew Anko was searching Yamada's house, because you'd asked him for permission upfront. He pretended to be surprised and offended so Yamada wouldn't suspect his involvement, all to save face. You helped Gaara strengthen his position in the Council by losing face yourself."

Kakashi smile widened. As expected, Shikamaru hadn't needed a lot of information to get to the truth. "Mahh, it's not particularly important what one Sunagakure Councilman thinks of me. I'm not his leader. Anyway, since he can't blame Gaara and it won't do him any good to blame me, I doubt he'll tell anyone about what happened anyway; it does look a bit embarrassing, doesn't it, that a single shinobi could have infiltrated his house and uncovered his greatest secret with very little effort? And a Konoha shinobi at that. So much for all those rumors they have going around about us being incompetent."

Shikamaru snorted, but he was grinning. "I can't tell if you're evil or a genius," he said, "but it does seem a little convoluted. Why let Anko let herself get caught in the first place? And why work with the assumption Gaara's hypothetical spy would get caught?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Living in a clan compound with dozens of relatives makes it rather easy for someone to notice interlopers. Anyway, she didn't let herself get caught on purpose, it was just dumb luck. Although of course if she'd really tried to get away, she'd have had to kill Yamada. Now that would have been _awkward."_

Shikamaru shook his head in amusement. "I can't believe you got Gaara to participate in something this underhanded."

"Oh, you'd be surprised – he enjoys a bit of fun as much as anyone else, especially when it concerns tricking someone he dislikes."

Shikamaru's expression darkened a little. "I'd better keep on his good side."

"Mahh, Temari looked plenty cheerful this morning to me," Kakashi said, and thoroughly enjoyed Shikamaru's scandalized expression.

There wasn't much to do or say for the rest of the journey. They ran. It was hot. Kakashi regretted his fashion choices numerous times throughout. He still hated the little scroll burning in his pocket. Ebizou made killer lunchboxes. The desert was a boring landscape to look at for so many hours. Etcetera.

They slowed down around four, and Gaara explained it got dark early in the desert. It wasn't exactly impossible to navigate at night, what with the stars being so visible, but they needed a few hours rest if they were facing a fight at the end of their trip. It also meant Sakura and Yuugao would be able to catch up; one of Yuugao's owls had found them a few hours into the morning, and had flown back and forth afterwards to lead the two women in the right direction. Sakura probably wasn't enjoying herself much, but she would get used to it. What the group lost in time, it would make up for in strength.

Or so Gaara said, anyway.

Gaara built them a temporary shelter with a twist of his hands, forming a dark cocoon of sand they could all fit into without being seen. They each took turns eating, sleeping, and standing guard. Yuugao and Sakura found them a few hours in, panting and covered in sweat from their run. They bunked down gratefully and quickly fell asleep – which was a good thing, because it meant they didn't notice when Kakashi snuck out of the cocoon to escape the sudden and overwhelming smell of sweat.

Shikamaru was standing guard, his shadow flickering on the ground. Ebizou had also escaped the cocoon at some point, and now sat curled up in a blanket against the outer wall of the cocoon. After a moment of hesitation, Kakashi went to sit next to him.

"Hope you don't mind," he said.

Ebizou shook his head, and for a few minutes they just sat there in silence. It was surprisingly cold.

After a moment, Ebizou cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but did you figure out how to open the scroll yet?"

Kakashi repressed another sigh. "Trying to wheedle state secrets out of me, are you?"

Ebizou chuckled. "I doubt that scroll is that important, or we would have noticed."

"Then why the personal interest?"

"Oh, it's just that I always did wonder what he was like, as a person," Ebizou said. "Your father, I mean."

"Silly, for the most part," Kakashi said, because that was a lot easier than saying 'sad'. " But clever. Cleverest man I've known."

He could feel Shikamaru's eyes on him.

Ebizou hummed thoughtfully. "It's hard to imagine the White Fang being silly."

"Mahh, then try harder."

Ebizou snorted. "Fair enough. I shouldn't pry. You'll have to forgive an old man's curiosity."

Kakashi huffed. "Your sister never asked anything, but I'm sure she wanted to."

"Well, he did kill her child," Ebizou said dryly.

"So I'm told."

"My nephew," Ebizou continued.

Kakashi looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Yes, your nephew." Was he expecting Kakashi to say something or apologize for a murder committed decades ago, by his father, in the middle of a war?

"So that's a no on opening the scroll?" The old man said suddenly.

Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder long enough that Kakashi could catch the curious look in his eyes.

Kakashi didn't respond.

Ebizou sighed. "My nephew was a good man, you know."

So was my father, Kakashi thought. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Ebizou nodded. "You'll have to forgive me if I can't quite bring myself to tell you the same thing."

Kakashi snorted. "Understandable," he said, half amused.

The old man was looking at him again, from underneath those thick eyebrows. "You know, we never did find out what happened to White fang," he said, and oh, now he was really prying. "It must've been a mighty shinobi, the one who took him down."

Kakashi gave the old man half a nod and a hum. Keep on wondering. You have no idea how right you are.

Evidently some of his mood could be read from his face, because Ebizou stopped prying. He just nodded to himself, and went blessedly quiet. The air around them is completely void of sound – not even birds flying overhead, or the chirping of cicadas. The only sounds were the crackling torch and his team's quiet breathing.

Kakashi stood up and joined Shikamaru at the edge of the light cast by the torch.

"It's so quiet out there," Shikamaru said, reading his mind. "Doesn't seem natural."

"Too quiet, you think?" Kakashi asked.

"No," the younger man shook his head, "no just… Dead. I'm too used to the forest."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Can't smell much either. Any life out there is probably small. Rodents and lizards, I'm guessing. "

"So long as there aren't any snakes," Shikamaru said meaningfully.

"Hmm, snakes get around, you know."

"I thought you might say that." Shikamaru rummaged around in his pouch and pulled out a cigarette. The flick and swish of lighter drew Kakashi's eyes.

The tip of the cigarette cast dark shadows across Shikamaru's face, making him look older than he actually was. "So what's this about a scroll?"

Kakashi gave him an amused look. "Something personal, actually. Nothing to worry about."

Shikamaru smiled back, but there was something of disbelief in his eyes. "Sure."

"Surely I would never lie to one of my old friend's cute little students?"

"Since you also lie to your own _cute little students_ , I'm going to have to say you would."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

"I'm just saying you seem to attract a disproportionate amount of trouble, _Hokage-sama,"_ Shikamaru drawled.

Well. That was. Well, uncomfortably true, really. Kakashi shifted and put his hands in his pockets. "That's hardly my fault," he moped.

Shikamaru grinned.

They stayed for about another hour before Gaara dissolved the cocoon and erased all traces of their presence. They moved on quickly, eager to make use of the cool air and cover of darkness. The lighter it became, the dryer the air felt in Kakashi's lungs. He had to actively focus on not coughing, but he still somehow drew Sakura's worried attention. He shrugged her concern off and distracted her by asking for her mission report.

The new information didn't come as a shock, and Gaara wasn't surprised either when he shared it. "At least we know a few of them were still near the border two days ago. It's unlikely they would have made it this far without a guide," he said.

They went on and paused only briefly during the heat of the day, when they had to find shelter and have a water break to prevent overheating (again, Kakashi had to concede masks were not particularly fitting desert wear). Sakura, of course, snuck up on him while he was having a sip to check out his lungs, and gave him a disapproving smack over the head when he tried to get away.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. The closer they got to the prison, the quieter the group became. Gaara cast a jutsu that made the sand around them fly into the air and obscure them from view. Yamada was carrying Ebizou permanently by now, and Sakura had to keep a close eye on him. She didn't seem particularly pleased they'd brought an old, recently sick, man with them, which, well, Kakashi couldn't really blame her for. But then you can't teach an old shinobi sense, as the saying went.

Ebizou stopped them shortly before dusk and pointed at a particularly tall sand dune up ahead. "You can probably sense it by now," he said.

Genjutsu. And a big one, too. Kakashi wished he still had his Sharingan to see how it was woven into the fabric of the desert. But he could feel it, shivering at the edges of his awareness. He could smell it, too: the human smell of sweat and dirt and stress where there should only be sand. "The dune is an illusion," he said.

Sakura, who had come to stand next him, cursed." Missed it again," she said.

He gave her a belligerent pat on the head. "You'll get there."

"But if this place is inhabited by civilian refugees, how is the genjutsu still there?" Shikamaru asked.

"It must have been left here a long time ago," Kakashi said. "A genjutsu can be rooted in place, if you know how – there used to be something like it in the old ANBU HQ."

"I remember," owl said. "It was smaller than this, though. Whoever made this must've been powerful."

"I should think so – it was the third Kazekage," Ebizou said. "He was the one who ordered this place to be built in the first place."

Ebizou climbed off of Yamada's back, and together the two of them walked closer to the dune. They stopped near a small rock outcropping and climbed on top of it. Together they raced through a series of hand seals, and then the dune began to shiver and fade.

Finally, the prison loomed ahead. It wasn't an elegant building by any means, more like a stack of cardboard boxes haphazardly placed together and linked by a tall, half broken stone wall. It clearly hadn't been maintained for decades, a skeleton of a building.

The group huddled together at a safe distance from the prison, surrounding the two Kages and awaiting orders.

"That didn't take as long as usual," Yamada said. "It should have taken longer to drop the illusion."

"The illusion might be fading with age. It's been there for almost half a century, " Ebizou said.

"Might?" Gaara said. His chakra seemed to come alive somehow, crackling at the edges but still repressed.

Kakashi sharpened his own senses and extended them. "There are people there – at least twenty."

"I don't sense any large chakra signatures, but they could be repressing them," Owl said.

"What, you think these Sound guys got here before us?" Kankuro said. "There's no way a bunch of forest fairies like them would be able to navigate the desert as well as we can – no offense."

" _Forest fairies?"_ Anko echoed.

Gaara ignored her. "There's no harm in being on guard."

"What, seriously?" Anko said, looking at Kakashi for confirmation. He nodded. She grumbled something under her breath.

"Let's split up into groups of three and approach from three angles. Ebizou-san, perhaps you'd better stay here until we figure out who's in there. They're probably already aware of our presence," Kakashi suggested, improvising. He glanced at Gaara, who nodded his assent.

"I know the prison better than anyone else. I will go with you, if you do not mind," Ebizou countered. His voice did not leave much room for argument.

"You can come with me," Gaara said. "Kakashi-san, Yamada can come with you and show you the way. The rest of you, pair up."

Kakashi nodded. After a quick calculation, he nodded at Owl. "You're with me and Yamada-san." That way, the other Konoha team would have both a strategist and a powerhouse on their side, in the forms of Shikamaru and Sakura respectively. It would also keep Anko well away from Yamada.

Unsurprisingly, Gaara's siblings ended up going with him. They went for an Eastern approach while Shikamaru, Sakura and Anko would go for the West. As Kakashi had the fastest team, he and his team would go around and approach from the North.

A quick conversation had revealed that Yamada was a puppeteer like Kankuro; he had fewer puppets, but they were quick and lethal. Kakashi wasn't particularly pleased to have a virtual stranger at his back, but Yuugao would keep an eye out as well. From the look of her she was already on edge, teeth undoubtedly gritting behind her mask, just like the good old days when they'd been teammates. He resisted the urge to tease her. Potentially dangerous prison infiltration first, teasing friends later.

On Gaara's signal, they all set out. Yamada was quick, as promised, and although he didn't have Yuugao's lethal grace or Kakashi's speed he could keep up well enough. Still, Kakashi would have given a lot to have his dogs at his side. His pack wasn't ready yet; they would need time to recover.

Most of the other dogs he had were either too old or too young, and he would prefer to use them in a less dangerous situation.

He did have one more promising young dog, though… A few hand seals later, the young spotted Dalmatian he had been training up for the last two years appeared by his side. "Boss?" The young dog tilted his head.

Kakashi put his finger on the dogs nose to silence him and pointed at the prison. "Hi, Botan. Follow. Let me know many people you sense," he whispered.

"Yes boss," Botan said and crawled after him as they made their approach.

As they came closer, it became obvious there wasn't much of a point to hiding their presence: there was no one in sight. They kept to the shadows nonetheless, hiding their chakra signatures as much as they could and using a simple illusion to reflect the light around them and make them harder to see.

The scent of human fear got stronger the further they snuck in. Botan flattened his ears in his neck and brushed against Kakashi's leg. Kakashi snapped his fingers to remind him of his training, and Botan moved further out. It would be pretty hard to defend against a sudden attack if he also simultaneously tripped over a _dog._

Once they were through the wall, they entered a large courtyard framed by the strange, blocky bulk of the prison. The courtyard itself was empty, but there were blankets in one of the corners and Botan's hackles were rising; someone had recently been there.

Yamada pointed at one of the larger buildings to their right and led them inside through an old, rusty metal door after marking it so the other teams would be able to find it. "There used to be seals here," he said. "This was one of the central stations. If we go down, we'll get to the basement – that's where I left the refugees. But... One of my boys should be watching this door."

"When you say your boys, you mean shinobi from your clan?" Yuugao asked.

Yamada nodded, clearly anxious.

"If it helps, I'm not smelling any blood," Kakashi said dryly. It probably didn't. From the corner of his eye, he could see Yuugao flinch at his lack of tact, but he didn't particularly care. He drew a finger across the wall and watched as it came away dirty. "Which part of this prison gave you the idea it would be a good refugee center?" He added quietly.

Yuugao snorted behind her mask.

Yamada's cheeks turned red. "I hardly think this is the time to discuss that." He beckoned them towards another metal door, which led to a set of decrepit stairs.

These guys need to hire a janitor, Kakashi thought. Then he thought it was a good joke, and he would have to remember it and tell Sakura and Yuugao. After that it occurred to him this was probably not an appropriate train of thought for his current circumstances, and he forcefully refocused his attention.

It was hard to take rusty old prisons seriously once you'd been dead and fought a goddess in an alternate dimension.

"What the hell is that smell?" Yuugao asked as they went further down.

"Trapped people," Kakashi answered. "How long have you been keeping them here anyway?"

Yamada looked away. "Two and a half weeks. But how about we focus on what matters? My boys would never slack off – something must've happened. Maybe there was a riot –"

"Doesn't look like it," Yuugao whispered back, looking around. They had come down another floor and could see the prison block properly now. Most of the cells were pretty basic and much like the ones Konoha had, all placed around an open space that went down several more floors, if the dark shadow where the floor should be was anything to go by.

It was hard to smell anything specific due to the overwhelming fog of sweat and stress that hung in the room, but fortunately Botan's nose could distinguish more smells. "There are people further down," Botan said, confirming Kakashi's own suspicions.

Kakashi directed Yuugao to take a right turn while he went left. Yamada trailed after him uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure whether to follow Yuugao, in her faceless, foreboding uniform, or Kakashi, a foreign Kage. Without their own voices to fill the silence, it was eerily quiet. The only thing Kakashi could hear was Yamada's rasping breath, annoyingly close to his neck. The clan leader probably hadn't had any kind of secret ops training. Even his chakra wavered uncertainly as if he wasn't quite sure how to hide it properly.

Or maybe he wasn't really trying at all. If he was loud enough, he could probably forewarn his clanmembers of their presence, so that they could… What, exactly? Hide what they had been up to? Or was that all just rampant speculation on Kakashi's part?

They walked on. The cells were all empty, some of them with the doors still hanging open as if they'd only just been opened, instead of decades ago. Kakashi idly wondered what Suna had done with the prisoners still been there when the prison was shut down, and then decided he would rather not know.

They reached another set of stairs and went further down. From what Kakashi could see, there were at least two more floors." I think the people may have moved," Botan said quietly.

Kakashi nodded. Better to keep going. The floor underneath the first one was equally empty, and when they met Yuugao halfway through she confirmed the other side had been empty as well. They went down to the final floor together and looked around.

There were a few torches scattered across the floor, some of them still burning. Kakashi took one and lit it, and went around the room to look into the cells. It had clearly been recently inhabited: there were blankets and some of them, and Botan's clever nose found some food remnants. It was otherwise empty.

"This is where the refugees should be," Yamada said. He sounded lost. "I guess – there's one more place they could be." He seemed to hesitate, but one strict look from Kakashi was enough to get him to move. He moved towards a small chamber to the right, which from the look of things had once housed the guards. Old, cracked seals were painted around the doorpost to keep chakra users out. Yamada pushed some of the furniture around until he could clear one of the walls. He pressed both hands onto the dusty surface and pushed chakra in.

The wall cracked down the middle and opened. Behind it was another room that had clearly seen better days. It looked as though someone or something had burst through the wall, although it was impossible to tell whether it had happened recently for many years ago. There was a set of shackles attached to the wall of the cell, and the floor was covered in seals.

Yamada stepped through the ruined wall into another room. As Kakashi followed, he saw the ruined wall had been several feet thick and covered in even more seals. Beyond it, they could see through into another row of cells, each of the walls busted down as though whatever had broken out of _this_ cell had gone through all the others to get out.

Yuugao whistled softly behind her mask. "What were you guys keeping here, a bijuu?"

Yamada shook his head. "Hardly. This is where we kept the White Fang."

He said it rather casually, as though it wasn't much of a big deal. And it probably wasn't to him, Kakashi thought, even as he tried to calm his thundering heart. He doubted anyone in Suna knew his father's real name, and thereby his connection to Kakashi, aside perhaps from Ebizou and Gaara. Kakashi realized he had frozen in his tracks, still halfway in his father's old cell. Yuugao's stare was drilling a hole through the back of his head.

"Ahh. Did you keep him here for long?" Kakashi asked, trying to keep his voice relaxed.

"No, not for very long. My father used to speak of it often, though. Called it the best few weeks of his life," Yamada grinned.

The urge to smash Yamada's head through the nearest wall was getting harder and harder to ignore.

Yuugao stepped up to his side and they watched as Yamada walked through the strange corridor of broken prison cells Kakashi's father had likely created during his escape. Her arm brushed against his briefly. "I'm sorry," she said softly, and went after Yamada.

Kakashi cast one look over his shoulder at the shackles, and then forced himself to move on.

He barely had time to take another step before the walls were rocked by a massive explosion.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I would apologize but you already know I love cliffhangers.**

 **Don't forget to leave a comment, comments are love!**

 **I had too much fun writing the first half of this chapter. Let me know if you like it, and what you think is going on in the prison... How on earth did Sakumo let himself be captured?**


	8. Blood

Chapter 8.

 **AN: this one is a bit short, but I assure you there will be more than enough for you to take in…**

The cellblock was too narrow to fight in properly. Kakashi dodged the chakra-laden chain by flipping his body in midair, and landed on the nearby wall. He shifted his feet and leapt away to dodge the other set of chains, taking a brief moment to scan where the chains' owners were relative to him – one kunoichi at three o'clock, her blonde twin sister at seven – and whipped water from the old drains to lash out at them.

He landed with his back towards Sakura's. "Hey, be careful!" She said, clearly irritated; if she used her super strength here, she would collapse the entire prison on top of them.

He flashed her a grin and dashed towards one of the twin sisters. The water whip had left a deep cut through her biceps, sharp as a surgeon's knife but infested with bacteria (sewage water didn't get better with age). Her sister yelled out a proper war cry and came after him with those nasty chains whirling through the air. He felt the air distortion at his back and dodged with a quick step, followed by a bastardized shunshin that took him behind the injured twin's back. A punch to the back of her head sent her to her knees.

He took a step back to allow one of Shikamaru's shadows to race past him. In the dark, dank prison, Shikamaru sat at the center of the cellblock like a spider in its web, using the flickering torchlight to his advantage. He would catch his prey soon enough.

A few floors above, Yuugao was exchanging quick blows with her own opponent, the clash of steel on steel echoing ominously. Anko grinned at Kakashi as she ran past him and charged the remaining twin.

One of the Sound jonin landed and, in the midst of chaos, caught Kakashi looking at him. He swallowed visibly and would have bravely charged if Sakura's fist hadn't crashed into the side of his head at the exact same time.

In the center of the room, besides Shikamaru, Gaara and his siblings stood and watched.

It wasn't much of a match, as far as battles went – the Sound crew were wily and talented, but they weren't two Kage with their best jonin. Now that Kakashi's opponents were engaged elsewhere, he took the time to look around.

The second cellblock was identical to the one Yamada had shown him, with one exception. The remaining refugees stood huddled together in a nearby cell, staring wide-eyed at the battle. Their gaunt faces made them look like corpses in the flickering light.

The smell of blood penetrated the air. Kakashi had dismissed poor Botan the moment he'd smelled it. There were no corpses, though – it was too dark to see whether there was blood on the floor or whether it came from the refugees.

More Sound shinobi appeared from above, one of them almost crashing into Yuugao as they came leaping down.

"Incoming!" Kakashi shouted. Gaara and his siblings looked up. Temari stepped forward and hurled a massive gust of wind towards the newcomers. Yuugao dodged just in time by leaping into one of the nearby cells. The Sound shinobi smashed against the walls, some of them tumbling into the other cells. One poor soul was thrown up into the air hard enough to hit the ceiling, and came down screaming.

Even with reinforcements, this wouldn't be a very long battle.

Which made Kakashi think this wasn't very much like Orochimaru at all.

Gaara had evidently had enough of sitting on the sidelines, and rounded the Sound shinobi up with a few quick, decisive strikes of his sand. Over the years, enough of it had seeped through the walls and broken windows to give him a pretty good arsenal. They tied the others up with rope and Anko's steel wire.

Kakashi let out a sigh and relaxed his guard a little. "Phew. That was sudden."

"My instincts were right," Yamada said. "But we still haven't found my clansmen."

If they haven't been killed yet, Kakashi thought. Yamada's men were all young and inexperienced. This Sound group had consisted of veterans.

Kakashi sighed and called over Yuugao. "Is that all of them?" He asked, pointing at the prisoners.

Yuugao bent her head. "We think two of them might have gotten away, but they were both injured. I'm sorry. Kankuro-san has gone to look for them."

Kakashi bit his lip. "They probably won't get far, then. Gaara-san, how about we take care of those refugees, first?"

Gaara met his eyes meaningfully, and together they went over to the refugees.

Sakura kneeled next to the closest one, the only one who hadn't retreated to the back of the cell when they approached. This refugee was a woman in her thirties, so emaciated she probably couldn't have run even if she'd wanted to. "I think they're in shock," Sakura said. "Their chakra feels weird, too."

"Like the nomads'?" Gaara asked.

Kakashi hummed and, kneeling besides Sakura, brushed pale hair aside to place two fingers on the woman's forehead. She flinched away.

"It's okay," he said. "We're here to help." Her pale eyes stared at him uncomprehending, but she didn't flinch again when he carefully touched her forehead. He closed his eyes and focused on her chakra. She had a lot of it for a civilian, but it felt choppy and unfocused. "Can you feel my chakra?" He asked her.

She shook her head mutely. "Please… Please. They…" She said, so softly he had to strain to hear it.

"What happened?" Sakura asked." Why were they coming after you?"

The woman gave her a wild eyed stare before ducking her head down.

"We shouldn't overwhelm her," Kakashi said meaningfully. He pulled a ration bar from his bag, stripped it out of its plastic jacket, and offered it to the refugee. "Sakura, tell the others to round up some of our food and water, and offer it to the refugees. They look like they haven't had much lately."

Sakura nodded and moved away.

Gaara and Kakashi stepped away as well as the refugee choked down the bar. "It won't be easy to keep all of them fed on the way back to Suna," Gaara said quietly. "We'll have to hunt."

Kakashi nodded. Between their own team, the refugees and the Sound shinobi, they would have to escort at least thirty people, and keep them fed on enough rations for ten. "We can hardly leave them here to starve."

Gaara gave him a halfhearted smile. "Naruto would depose us both, if we tried."

"Hell, I would depose us," Kakashi sighed. He looked back at the terrified, starving civilians. "I'll admit I didn't see much of Orochimaru's work back in the day, but I've done some research since then. Of course it could just be shock, but it could also be he's been keeping them for so long that… Well. That they no longer recognize even kindness when they see it."

"Trauma?" Gaara said, and then nodded. "She did have that look in her eyes. Like she barely even understood what you were saying."

"She's seen things," Kakashi agreed.

"Hokage-sama, what are we going to do with the prisoners?" Yuugao asked, coming over. She had a few scratches on her arms, but they looked harmless.

Kakashi nodded at Gaara." This is your jurisdiction. Go ahead."

"Please start taking them to the upper levels of the prison, ANBU-san," Gaara said. Yuugao nodded and quickly recruited some of the others to help her. Turning back to Kakashi, Gaara said, "what's your theory?"

"That they must have something Orochimaru wants, or he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble. The real question is how the hell they escaped in the first place."

He looked back at the refugees. The woman had started to cry, slow, deep sobs wrenching through her thin body. The others were just as thin and weak as she was, if not more so.

Except... A boy of perhaps sixteen got up and knelt next to the woman to put an arm around her shoulders. He was as thin and dirty as the others, but his eyes were clear and lively. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and allowed his shoulders to slouch a little as he approached the boy.

"Can I ask who you are?" He asked.

The boy looked a little startled, but unafraid. "You're the Hokage, aren't you? The others say Konoha is a beautiful place."

Kakashi blinked. "Yes, it is. I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions. Do you remember where you're from?"

"I'm from Grass Country. I don't know about the others. That's where we wanted to go, only he found us. So we went on towards the desert," the boy said. "My name is Shin."

"When you say he, do you mean –"

"Orochimaru? Yes." Shin smiled at Kakashi's startled expression, and tapped one of his ears. The tip was pointed and strangely long. "I can hear everything."

 _Kekkei Genkai._ "So… You're all kind of special, aren't you?" Kakashi guessed.

Shin nodded. "We think he gathered us from across the world. Some of the older ones can still remember where they used to live. I can only remember the name of my country."

"He held you for a long time, then?" Gaara asked.

Shin's eyes flicked over to this new, strange person, and then widened in recognition. "You're the Kazekage." He looked between them and gave a startled little laugh. "I'm in high company. But I do not remember – my memory is not always good. He did things to me. There are gaps in my life I cannot recall."

Still, though. The boy was clearly intelligent, and if his hearing was as good as he said it was…

"I'm sorry. Is there anyone else in your group we could talk to?"

Shin grimaced. "You can try, but I don't think it will work. Just before you guys got here, they… Well, we all got a shock. The Sound shinobi found us yesterday, but we didn't know what they would do."

"What did they do?" Kakashi asked, and tried to sense the boy's chakra. He could barely feel it at all. Less of it than your average civilian. That wasn't natural.

Shin tightened his arm around the crying woman. "There were more of us at first. They started last night. They didn't stop until about an hour ago."

When Kakashi's group has arrived. One of the shinobi had to be a powerful sensor. "What's that they started?"

Beside him, Gaara beckoned Yamada closer and quietly asked him how many refugees there should have been.

"Thirty," Shin answered in his stead. There were perhaps eleven of them left, now. "They made the floor glow, and then they disappeared. It was like magic."

His eyes turned wet. "They took her baby," he said. The woman sobbed.

Glowing floors and stolen babies. Hmm.

"Was the baby special too?" Kakashi asked carefully.

"Very special," Shin said, his eyes serious.

"Did he want the baby most of all?" Kakashi asked.

Shin hesitated. "Maybe." He turned and looked at the woman again. "She's sick. Can you help her?"

Dissatisfied with this answer, Kakashi forced himself to take a deep breath and call for Sakura. She was checking the other refugees over, but she'd kept her distance to give them some privacy. Now she came over and carefully placed her hands on the woman's back. Her eyes widened, and then grew sad. She quietly shook her head.

Terminal, then. Whatever Orochimaru had done had already had its effect.

"I want my baby boy," the woman whimpered, unaware of what they are just communicated over her head.

They asked the boy a few more questions, but it was clear he no longer wanted to answer. His eyes kept lighting on the food and water, so they left him to fill his belly. Together, they filled Shikamaru, Temari and Sakura in on what they had found. Sakura got a little teary-eyed and went back to help the refugees some more. Kakashi could see here quietly talking with Shin, who seemed to be in the best condition of the group.

"We can't ask them to travel like this," Shikamaru said. "They're too weak, and we can't carry them all."

Kakashi sighed and nodded. "Let's set up camp. I doubt they'll be coming back anytime soon, so it should be safe."

Shikamaru nodded and went to inform the others.

"There's something odd about this room, though," Gaara said thoughtfully. "Oh, Ebizou-san. How are you doing?"

The old man shook his head as he approached them. He had wisely kept to the sidelines during the fight, but he looked tired anyway. "I am disappointed, but otherwise well. This place is much as I remember it – but it's no place to harbor ill, weak people. Something must be done, Kazekage. Yamada cannot go unpunished."

Kakashi hummed under his breath and put his hands in his pockets as he looked at his feet. He was perhaps a little bit too pleased to hear Ebizou say so. He blinked. There was something about the floor... What had Shin said again?

"We will deal with it when we get home," Gaara said. "First, I want to send a dispatch to the village. If a team could meet us halfway to the prison, that would already make things easier."

"The floor glowed," Kakashi quoted under his breath, still staring at the floor. As the others gave him curious looks, he grabbed a nearby torch and held it to the floor. Yes, he'd seen correctly – there were markings on the floor. "A seal," he said, alerting Gaara and Ebizou. The others were all too far away to hear.

"A seal? There was never a seal here," Ebizou said.

"There is now…" Kakashi crouched down and tried to wipe away the marking. "Done in blood, I think – which explains the smell."

"Whose blood?" Gaara asked sharply.

Kakashi shrugged. "We need more light in here."

Sakura and the others slowly but surely cleared the refugees out of the cellblock, carrying each of them on their backs as they leapt from floor to floor. With the area cleared, Kakashi used a couple of clones to hold torches for and see just how large the seal was. It was at least ten feet in diameter, more sigil than seal, and unlike anything he had seen before. He paced around the circle, pausing every now and then to inspect an element from up close, and slowly came to the conclusion that he had seen the markings before.

 _"_ Hiraishin," he muttered to himself. "Except it's not quite that, is it? It's not as quick, and it would've taken them hours just to create the seal. They'd probably have to bleed someone out entirely to manage."

Gaara eyed him uncertainly. "But what is it for?"

"Teleportation," Kakashi said grimly. "That's how they took the baby and the other refugees away."

He kicked at the seal. "This must be Orochimaru's newest experiment. But how the hell did he get his hands on his kind of sealing knowledge?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Shikamaru muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. He'd come to join them, the only one to notice something was up.

Kakashi ignored him. "This is advanced. I don't think they would be able to transport more than five people at a time, but that's still more than most villages are capable of. And where is he taking them?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you there – my knowledge of sealing techniques is limited," Gaara admitted. "Nor is there anyone in my party particularly knowledgeable."

"Us puppeteers understand sealing puppets into pockets dimensions, but that's hardly the same thing as teleportation," Ebizou said.

"They probably need several people just to activate this thing," Kakashi said absently, his mind working away at the problem and not really listening to the others. Two to activate it, or even three – but then they would only be able to bring two other people. They'd needed to transport thirty refugees, and they had managed about nineteen. A seal like this would likely take time to reload...

Unless they had figured out a way to transport more at the same time. His stomach twisted uneasily. He looked at the edges of the seal. "Pocket dimension seals…" He echoed, "like those?" He pointed out the circles placed at the edges of the seal, one in each width direction.

Ebizou looked at them. "Yes. You could use them to store items, or chakra, or even bodies –"

Kakashi crouched down to follow the line of one of the pocket seals, which ran down to the center of the seal. "The pockets fuel the seal… Fill up two of those pockets, and you only need one person to transport your prisoners. Ebizou-san, how many of those pockets would you say are still filled?"

Ebizou frowned and slowly circled around to inspect each of the pockets. He had to kneel down once or twice to sense them properly. "I would say they're all filled."

Shikamaru frowned thoughtfully.

All of them filled… Something about that nagged at the back of Kakashi's head. He looked the circle over again, and found the coordinates of the location where the seal would take people. Meaningless, without a proper map, and possibly encoded. Still, he stored them in his mind.

Gaara and Ebizou watched him with quizzical expressions, their feet firmly planted on the seal. Shikamaru was standing at the edge, one foot on the seal, one foot just outside it.

Four full pockets, only two of them needed to transport people... Two missing Sound shinobi... His eyes widened. Someone shouted, " _now_!"

Two of the pocket seals unfurled into people, bloodied and wild-eyed but _determined_ – and then the seal began to glow, pulling his chakra down like Kaguya's gravity manipulation. There was no time to warn anyone. He couldn't even move his own chakra, couldn't send out lightning to stop the Sound shinobi –

But he could mess with the coordinates.

The last thing he managed to do before he was pulled out of the universe was crack the seal's coordinates in half.

xXx

Sakura stared down into the cellblock. She had just been on her way back from bringing one of the refugees upstairs when the entire building shook as if during an earthquake. There'd been a flash of light, and now…

"I – I don't get it," Temari said in a small voice. "What just happened? Where – where the hell did they go?"

Her voice rose in pitch and echoed eerily in the now empty prison. Kakashi-sensei wasn't anywhere to be seen, and neither were Gaara, Shikamaru and Ebizou. They'd vanished, just like that. On the floor, a large, complicated seal glowed gently like embers in a fireplace.

"That seal," she said carefully, "it must have – it must have done _something_."

"There wasn't one just now, was there?" Temari asked, her voice high and anxious. Her brother and boyfriend had just disappeared before her nose – she had to be terrified.

Hell, Sakura was.

She still herself and leapt down in a single jump, ignoring how it jarred her knees on the landing. She couldn't even sense their chakra. "We need Owl –"

As if she could read minds, Owl landed in a crouch next to her. "There was a large chakra discharge, just now. Almost like an implosion, first moving outwards and then – collapsing in on itself. Whatever happened, they're not here anymore."

There was a large crack running through the seal. Sakura stared at it. "And it's broken, isn't it? So we can't use it ourselves."

Owl nodded. "We have no way to find out what just happened, or what happened to... What happened to our people." Her voice was steady, but pitched higher than usual. The fact that Sakura could hear that at all indicated just how distraught the ANBU was.

Sakura bit down on her lip. Hard. For all they knew, Kakashi, Shikamaru and the others were dead, dispersed into the air. They could be _breathing them_ – Sakura gasped and turned away. That was not a constructive thought, not in the least, so she have to ban it from her mind and think of something more helpful. Naruto would know what to do. He always knew what to do.

Except he was in here.

She breathed in deeply. "Owl, you're the highest-ranking officer we've got left. What do you think we should do?"

Owl looked fierce in the darkness, her shoulders tense and her mask featureless and threatening. If she was at all intimidated by being put in charge, she didn't show it. "First, we should finish Kakashi-senpai's orders. There's no point in running around and panicking without knowing where we're supposed to go. We need food and water, and the refugees need a break before they can go anywhere. We need to ask Sunagakure for help, too. And… And we need a seals expert."

 **AN:**

 **So, that was probably a lot to take in. I hope you enjoyed it..? Don't kill me! You might want to count how many people the seal took with it, though…**

 **Where do you think seal took them? Let me know!**


	9. Dark

**Chapter 9**

 **in which people find themselves in strange situations, certain little books are threatened, and choices have to be made.**

 **AN: thank you for 100+ reviews! Also a little warning, there's some breaking bones, blood and other gross things.**

* * *

Kakashi came out of the darkness feeling like he'd just swum through miles of thick, cloying jelly. He felt strangely numb, as if the world around them had gone quiet and dull, some of its vibrancy inexplicably lost. It wasn't unlike a feeling he'd had as a boy, when he'd first had to adjust to only having one eye in his everyday life. The feeling of strangeness, of something missing that used to be there.

He couldn't feel his chakra.

He managed to open his eyes. Sand, warm from the sun and soft like a pillow underneath his body. No chakra signatures around him. He was safe – he could breathe again. Slowly but surely, his chest began to feel less tight. His head felt foggy but at least he could think again. No obvious pain anywhere in his body, so he probably wasn't injured either.

Still no chakra.

Next to him, someone groaned in pain. Kakashi flinched away from the sound – he hadn't sensed anyone at all – but then the same person groaned again, and this time he recognized the voice.

Shikamaru was curled up on his side, clutching at his thigh. Blood colored the sand around him dark. Kakashi cursed and scrambled over to him. Shikamaru's dark eyes opened briefly but were clouded with pain.

Kakashi carefully rolled him onto his back, and pried the younger man's hands away from the wound. He hissed in sympathy. Whatever had happened, it had cut Shikamaru nearly to the bone. He was losing too much blood. Thinking quickly, Kakashi undid the belt Shikamaru was wearing and wrapped it around Shikamaru's thigh.

"Sorry, this will hurt," he said, and pulled the belt as tight as it would go. Shikamaru made a stifled sound but kept his eyes on Kakashi's face, looking determined even as his breathing came in hard, fast gasps.

Behind them, something moved. Kakashi shifted just in time to catch the knife coming at his face. It was one of the Sound shinobi who had teleported them here, his face contorted in fury. Kakashi had to roll with the blow. Shikamaru gasped something concerned and pained.

Although the bone deep fatigue of chakra exhaustion was missing, Kakashi couldn't reinforce his arms with chakra, and the weight of the Sound shinobi drove them both down. The knife buried itself in the sand next to his head. The shinobi roared something furious and punched him in the face. Something cracked in Kakashi's jaw and he briefly saw stars.

Kakashi blocked the second blow by grabbing the other shinobi's wrist and twisting it sharply. Bone snapped. Kakashi twisted his hips and, using the broken arm as leverage, rolled them both over. He straddled the man's arms and shoved him face first into the sand. Quick, machinelike efficiency was as easy as breathing after so many years of practice.

More movement – there, the other enemy shinobi was up and running – then he caught a blur of red from his right as Gaara tackled the second man to the ground. No sand, just wiry strength and anger.

Highly uncharacteristic. Was he missing his chakra too?

Unfortunately, the other man was more heavily built, and without ninjutsu Gaara had lost his natural advantage. The larger man scrambled back up onto his feet and threw himself on top of Gaara, reaching for his throat.

Kakashi's fist connected with his opponent's temple without mercy. Shikamaru was injured, Gaara was not a natural hand-to-hand combatant, and they had no idea where the hell they were; intel be damned, survival came first. He grabbed the knife and moved as quickly as he could to tackle the remaining Sound shinobi himself. The Sound shinobi was larger than him as well, but unlike Gaara Kakashi was a close combat specialist – that, and he had a knife in his hand. After blocking a few sharp jabs, he put his knife to the other man's throat and snarled, " _Give it up._ "

Gaara was breathing hard. For the first time since Kakashi had met him, his pale eyes looked uncertain. Not for long, though. When Gaara caught sight of Shikamaru, his usual confidence returned. He worked his way up to his feet and scrambled over.

"Did we win? I couldn't see," Shikamaru panted.

Gaara nodded as he ripped one of his sleeves off. "Yes, we did. Don't worry," he said, and tied the fabric around Shikamaru's leg. "Can you feel your chakra?" He added.

Ah.

"No," Shikamaru said. "You?"

"No," Gaara said, turning to meet Kakashi's eyes. Kakashi shook his head.

A sudden, loud coughing drew their attention. Ebizou. Even Ebizou had been brought with them. The old man was crawling towards them. He must have been hidden from view behind a small dune. He looked ill and exhausted. "Where are we?" He asked.

"I broke the coordinates," Kakashi admitted. "To take away their advantage. Except… Now there's no way of knowing where we are."

Shikamaru groaned. "You really _do_ attract trouble," he said. "We're lost in a _desert_."

"To be fair, I'm not the one whose leg was split in half," Kakashi returned. "Speaking of, is it still bleeding?"

"It is," Gaara said grimly. "The wound is deep – just a tourniquet might not be enough."

Kakashi nodded. "He'll need stitches. If worst comes to worst, we can cauterize it."

"Just my luck that Sakura isn't with us," Shikamaru groaned. "Then again, without chakra… Kakashi-sensei, you'd better have a steady hand." He was trying to say it lightly, but his voice was too strained to pass it off as anything but nerves.

"Of course! I've had plenty of opportunity to practice on myself," Kakashi said lightly.

Shikamaru cursed.

"If you have material on you, I don't think we should wait too long," Gaara said.

Kakashi nodded. "I always carry something on me. A leftover from doing solo missions. Gaara, you'll have to switch places with me."

Gaara nodded and came over to take Kakashi's place as prison warden. Kakashi jogged back to Shikamaru and felt intensely grateful that he'd paid such close attention to his equipment even for a diplomatic mission. Some habits you just didn't want to grow out of.

Shikamaru was starting to look dangerously pale. The wound itself cut through his leg deeply, oozing slowly but steadily. The blood looked nearly black. The muscles had been cut cleanly – without medical jutsu, that would take a long time to heal. On the upside, the edges of the wound were clean and straight; stitching would be easy.

Kakashi took out his medical kit and set to work. He hadn't stitched up a lot of people in his time, but he hadn't lied to Shikamaru. The last time he'd had to stitch himself up dated back to the fourth war, but it was hardly the sort of thing anyone could forget. Shikamaru groaned when he pushed the wound edges together. He had to wipe away the blood several times to see what he was doing, until Ebizou appeared with a piece of cloth and did it for him.

Up above, the light was slowly starting to fade.

Shikamaru's breathing stuttered and hitched several times throughout the process but he didn't cry out. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the darkening sky above.

Kakashi finished off the stitches and tied Gaara's sleeve around the wound again. The tourniquet was still in place, a few inches above the wound. Most of the bleeding had stopped, at least. "That will do for now," he said. "Keep your weight off of it. Actually, just… Don't move. You lost a lot of blood."

Shikamaru looked utterly exhausted, but he nodded. "Thanks."

He would need food and liquid soon, but right now they had neither.

Kakashi's hands were sticky with blood. Now that the adrenaline was slowly fading from his system, his jaw was starting to ache abominably. It would've been nice if his first aid kit had included a cold pack, but hey…

Ebizou walked over to the surviving Sound shinobi and started to unravel the prisoner's long, tight scarf. "We can use this to tie him up."

Kakashi nodded and took it from him. With Gaara's help, he trussed the Sound shinobi like a calf and dragged him closer to Shikamaru, who was the unofficial center of their little camp. There, they tied up the second prisoner as well and huddled together.

"Don't suppose you recognize some of these grains of sand?" Kakashi asked Gaara lightly, peeling of his bloodied gloves.

"Not even the dunes," Gaara said. "Perhaps I can figure out our location when the stars come out." His eyes fell on the dead Sound shinobi. They rested there for a moment, then moved away again.

Finally, Gaara said, "Is this a kind of chakra exhaustion?"

Kakashi and Shikamaru exchanged a wry look. Neither of them had huge reserves, relative to their skill level, but Gaara was still used to having the reserves of a bijuu at his back. He'd likely never experienced anything close to chakra exhaustion.

Kakashi, on the other hand... He shivered instinctively at the memory of pins and needles throughout his limbs, and the agony of his organs shutting down one by one. He'd felt it down to his bones. "Normal" chakra exhaustion – normal for him, anyway – was only a little kinder, but usually resulted in stiff and painful limbs. He wasn't in any pain at all, and he felt as flexible as ever.

"No, this is something else," he said. "I'm thinking it might be a side effect of the transport seal. If they knew this... numbness would happen, they must've thought they'd be able to take us out wherever they were taking us."

"I suppose we make a nice bounty," Gaara said thoughtfully. He looked up at the sky.

"Hmm. Quite clever, really."

"You said the seal would only be able to bring five people. I was standing on the seal with only one leg," Shikamaru said. He had closed his eyes and his face was drawn in pain, but being Shikamaru his brain was still working. "That's how I was injured, wasn't it?"

Kakashi sighed. "Probably. You're lucky you didn't lose the leg completely."

"Right. Lucky."

Lucky by Kakashi standards, anyway.

"We need to build a fire," Gaara said. "It will get cold soon. Without my sand, I can't build us a shelter."

Right. And they weren't exactly going to find a furnished inn in the middle of a desert, either. Kakashi would have killed to have one of Tenzou's luxury lodges right about now. "No wood to burn, though. Don't suppose either of you brought any paper or books?"

Shikamaru actually turned his head to give Kakashi a meaningful look. " _You_ have a book."

Kakashi resisted the urge to hiss. " _Other_ books."

In the end, they pieced together a small and rather sad looking fire out of Ebizou's more useless scrolls. "They contain material for my puppets, but we won't be able to unlock them anyway," he explained.

Actually starting the fire required rather more effort than any of them wanted to admit, but they managed it in the end. Without sacrificing Icha Icha, to boot.

Kakashi considered himself to be rather lucky his companions hadn't questioned him about _that_ any further. He would have given the book up, if he really had to, but if there was a choice… He tried to tell himself it was just because of Jiraiya's signature on the first page, but that didn't quite ring true. No, the truth was that he was _fond_ of the stupid little thing. Not just for its mind-bogglingly silly and delightfully escapist contents, but also because this was the first of the series – the first one Jiraiya given him, and the one that had survived all those battles at his side.

Which was a stupidly sentimental way to think about a cheap little paperback, but there you go.

The next few hours were startlingly uneventful, given that they had just been teleported to who knew where. Gaara and Kakashi explored the direct surroundings of their small camp, discovering a couple of cacti which could serve as water supply and a small rodent, blackened with soot from the fire, and presented to them by Gaara with an air of triumph it didn't quite deserve. It rather reminded Kakashi of the first time Naruto had ever cooked for team 7 – it had also been the last time – and just how happy the boy had been.

Eating without showing his face also proved to be rather tricky, what with how painful Kakashi's jaw was. He ended up simply turning his back towards them as he ate his quarter of the rodent, and ignored their curious looks. Unfortunately, having only two bites of rat for dinner was about as appetizing as it sounded.

Well. He had had worse, in the war.

With their little camp organized, there wasn't much else they could do. Gaara and Kakashi tried to figure out their positioning by looking at the stars, but dark clouds obscured them from view and blocked even the moonlight from illuminating the world around them. Only the flickering orange flame of the campfire kept them company. There wasn't much left to do but rest.

Gaara took the first watch, leaving the others to get some sleep. Shikamaru had nodded off hours ago, exhausted by his injury. Ebizou had valiantly tried to stay awake, but lost the battle quickly after Gaara's declaration. Kakashi sat by the fire for a little bit longer, quietly observing the other Kage, before nodding and curling up next to Shikamaru. They would be warmer together.

After that, nothing. Sleeping on missions had taught him how to fall asleep as quickly as possible even under the strangest of situations, and today was no different. Not even the scroll Shikamaru's injury could distract him for long enough. He dreamt of Minato-sensei and Naruto, cooking together in Kakashi's cramped little kitchen. It was a very pleasant dream, but it didn't last.

Gaara was shaking his arm. "Wake up, _now_! We're under attack –"

Something huge and fast came out of nowhere and bowled them both over, instantly dousing their campfire with a shower of sand. One of the prisonors screamed as massive jaws snapped.

Something had found them in the dark of the night.

And it was hungry.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was not as surprised as he should have been when he received a message reading _'Kakashi-sensei may have gotten himself vaporized, is now MIA. Come help ASAP. PS. Don't tell Naruto yet, he will freak out! Sakura.'_

He let out a deep sigh. First, Kakashi sent him orders-via-lackey, and now the man had done something mad enough that he'd vanished. Oh, and he'd put Naruto in charge of Konoha while he was away. Crazy bastard.

Suigetsu had been very short tempered ever since he'd returned from his impromptu meeting with the Hokage, but he'd made it clear it had something to do with Orochimaru. The old snake obviously hadn't learned much from his mistakes, and now Konoha might have to pay for it again. In other words, as much as Sasuke didn't want to, he was going to have to _help_. And let Naruto know anyway, because he would freak out even worse if they didn't tell him at all, whenever he inevitably found out. There wasn't much hope of getting him to stay in the village, anyway.

Sasuke memorized the coordinates Sakura had added to the scroll before sending the paper up in flames.

Juugo gave him a curious look from his seat near the fireplace. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"No, just my old team getting into trouble again."

"Oh. Nothing new, then."

Nothing new, but still… For all that Sakura's tone had been lighthearted, her handwriting was sharper than usual. She was worried. Despite his propensity for finding trouble, Kakashi was also usually very good at getting himself out alive. The only real reason to be worried was because… Well. The incident with Fox had rattled team seven. After they had survived the war, Sasuke had been pretty sure no danger could have been great enough to truly threatened them, but he knew better now. _Evaporated_ , he thought. Hmm. If anything, he knew better than to believe there was such a thing as 'impossible'.

He pulled out a map of Wind Country from his backpack. It wasn't very precise, but it would do to figure out Sakura's location. After a moment's calculation, he frowned. Beyond Sunagakure. He would have to move fast to avoid the guard patrols. Pardoned or not, he wasn't particularly popular amongst most shinobi.

"I have to leave tomorrow," he told Juugo. "You and Suigetsu will have to finish things here."

Juugo blinked. His face was an open book even in the flickering light of the campfire: he was worried. "Is it that bad?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe. I'll see."

Juugo's face relaxed a little. "Well, if it's you and your old team, I'm sure it will turn out all right. How will we contact you?"

"You won't. I will contact you myself," Sasuke said, and wrapped his coat more tightly around his shoulders. He closed his eyes. He would be traveling most of tomorrow, and perhaps the day after that as well if he wanted to spare his chakra. He needed rest, now. He would figure out the rest tomorrow.

Juugo only sighed.

* * *

There wasn't any time to think. Kakashi threw himself on top of Shikamaru and rolled them both over, narrowly escaping the lashing tail of whatever had just attacked them. Their prisoner was still screaming, so whatever it was was _sadistic_. Shikamaru was only half conscious, but aware enough to cooperate when Kakashi slung him over his back. His weight didn't seem as taxing as it should have – Kakashi could feel some of his chakra again, simmering just under the surface, _just out of reach_. He couldn't use it yet, but it was a good sign. He forced himself up to his feet, thighs burning, and decided that the best way to go was probably away from the monster still torturing the poor Sound Shinobi.

There was no time to pick up their backpacks. They were in no state to _fight back_. Something reared up from the sand just ahead of him, hissing and screeching, and he only managed to avoid it by throwing his body out of the way. He could feel its hot breath on his skin as they passed. Shikamaru screamed as the fall jarred his injured leg. No time.

Kakashi forced himself back up again and ran. "Gaara!" He shouted. It would be safer to keep quiet, but he had to know where the Kazekage was, and whether he could still be saved. He heard a cry somewhere to his right, and then more hissing at his back.

"Kakashi –" Shikamaru warned him, but Kakashi had gotten there before him and threw himself flat on his stomach. Whatever was chasing them flew right overhead, missing them by barely a foot. _Clever little beastie_. It was big, whatever it was, and long.

The second Sound Shinobi had started screaming as well, and Kakashi could hear bone snapping. One of the creatures made a delighted whistling sound. Something slithered past, and then the first whistle was joined by a second. Poor bastards. On the upside, the creatures were moving further away. Kakashi worked himself up to his feet again, ignoring chafed hands and knees, and started to run.

Gaara reached them mere moments later, barely visible in the darkness. There was a brief, confusing moment where they gripped each other's shoulders to ensure they weren't actually facing some eldritch monster, and then they were off again. Old Ebizou bounced awkwardly off of Gaara's thin shoulders.

Shikamaru's breathing sounded strangely loud his ears. There weren't any other animals around them, so it was just them, their footsteps and breathing, and the monsters in the distance, their victims' screams slowly dying out.

They ran on. At some point, Shikamaru's head sagged down onto Kakashi shoulder, and he had to readjust his grip to make sure the younger man didn't fall off. His own lack of sleep was starting to show as well; his head felt foggy and flight. He didn't think he'd slept much more than one or two hours, at best. Gaara would probably be feeling even worse.

They should have brought a torch. If only one of them had had their hands free to grab one, at least they could have found their way more easily in the dark. Instead, they had no idea what direction they were running, only that it was away from the nearest threat. They could be running right into the next danger. But Kakashi and Gaara had had to choose: supplies, or their injured friends. Despite what it had cost them, Kakashi was pleased to see Gaara had made the same choice as him.

He tried to count in his head to get an estimate of how much time passed as they ran. It didn't feel quite right, to run away from an enemy instead of fighting it, so he slowed down before he marked half an hour. Those things were fast and had managed to find them in the middle of the desert, so it would be better to find a strategic safe place than one that was far away. Either way, they had probably filled their bellies with the Sound Shinobi; they probably wouldn't have to feed again tonight. He hoped not, anyway.

Gaara noticed he had dropped his pace and joined him at his side. They hadn't spoken much during the run, but now he said, between gasps for air: "are you all right? They were on us so fast, I didn't notice them earlier." There was something wild in his eyes. Kakashi couldn't help but remember the chunin exams, and Gaara's response to being injured. The Kazekage wasn't used to situations like these.

Kakashi's own breathing wasn't much better, and his chest ached again. Still, he nodded as he carefully let Shikamaru down. The younger man was blinking back into consciousness slowly but surely. Some blood seeped through his bandages, but the stitches seemed okay. "We're fine. And it's okay, you couldn't have sensed them without chakra," Kakashi said. There was no point in playing the blame game, anyway.

He quickly explained his reasoning. "We need to orient ourselves before we start running into every other direction. It's better that we find a strategic safe place, perhaps on top of the rock or a mountain, if we can find one, then a place that's just far away from those creatures. Every mile we run could be further away from home, or further away from the nearest source of food."

Gaara nodded. "It will be hard to find anything while it remains dark, though."

"We'll have to use our other senses," Kakashi said, tapping his nose. "I won't pretend this place is a wildfire of smells, but if I should pick up on cooler air… We might be able to find water, at least."

"Can you, without chakra?" Ebizou asked. His voice rasped painfully, and he'd started coughing again. There was a liquid, frothy quality to the coughs that Kakashi didn't like.

"Yeah. Not as well as when I have chakra, but still much better than anyone who isn't an Inuzuka," Kakashi said, shrugging. "I have some Inuzuka ancestry. I think."

"You _think_ ," Ebizou repeated, but didn't say anything else.

Kakashi didn't comment. There were more important things to focus on.

They ended up walking, just far enough apart that they could still see each other, each of them carrying an injured companion. Without chakra, food, or water, every step took more effort than the last. It wasn't even the distance, necessarily, just a combination of exhaustion, Shikamaru's weight on his back, his aching jaw, and the lack of sleep and sustenance. It has now been about twelve hours since his last proper meal. Well. Technically, the human body would be able to do without food for several weeks. Of course, it wouldn't actually be capable of much for most of that time. They would have to do more hunting, or get lucky and find more cacti. Maybe cactus meat was more appetizing than it sounded.

Either way, so long as they could find water to drink, the real danger were those creatures. Without chakra or weapons, they were as good as defenseless against them.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Thank you for reading, please let me know if you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **In case you didn't notice, I really, really like writing suspense. This chapter probably left you with more questions than answers, though… Typical, honestly.**


	10. Silence

**Chapter 10. Silence**

* * *

The rest of the night passed dreadfully slow. They had found a cave barely a mile from where they had stopped, little more than a small, half crumbled outcropping near a dried up oasis. The land seemed alien and strange. There were no more rats or cacti, no convenient oasis or abandoned buffet. There was only the sound of the wind and their own gnawing stomachs. With Shikamaru still injured and the others exhausted, they had decided to stay for a few hours to rest up. They'd gotten perhaps four hours of uneasy sleep before Shikamaru's cry had woken them up.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden," Shikamaru said, around a pained grimace. He clutched his wound with one hand, blood slowly trickling through his fingers. "I had a nightmare. Must have pulled my stitches waking up."

Kakashi snorted and threaded the needle. "Just keep still. I don't want to have to put in a tourniquet again."

Shikamaru grimaced but bore the treatment with true Nara stoicism.

Gaara came to stand next to them, his eyes on the desert even now. "Ebizou-san isn't doing well," he said shortly.

Ebizou was sitting in the corner, practically buried in his blankets. His breathing came too fast and he complained of dizziness.

"He's not usually one to complain," Gaara said quietly. "His aide only found out about the pneumonia when Ebizou-sama collapsed at breakfast."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. The fact that such a hardened and experienced warrior complained at all spoke of a certain degree of unawareness of his surroundings: he was the first to feel the dehydration.

Kakashi had seen it coming, of course. It was hard not to think about the possibilities of walking around in the desert without a supply of water and food. Without his chakra, he would be able to draw water from their surroundings, either – if there was any in the first place.

Kakashi did have a plan, one that his students, if they were here to hear of it, would probably hate. He had left his backpack when they fled, leaving behind valuable resources such as water and food in the process. That, and... He looked at Ebizou. His father's scroll was still in the bag as well.

He couldn't really justify going back for just the scroll, but they hadn't seen any sign of food or water for the past few hours. _Loophole_.

He did at least have the grace to feel slightly bad about it.

Kakashi looked back at Gaara. "I have water in my backpack, back where we left it. If I go during the day, chances are those creatures have already left. It shouldn't take me too long."

The others gave him alarmed looks.

"What, on your own?" Shikamaru said, frowning.

Kakashi shrugged. "If I don't go, we could all die of thirst. I haven't seen any vegetation for hours. You are injured, Ebizou is too slow and ill, and Gaara –"

He met Gaara's pale eyes and paused, unsure of how to continue without insulting him. "You should probably stay here to look after the others," he said lamely, dropping his shoulders in defeat.

If anything, Gaara looked faintly amused. "By which you mean I would hold you back if I came along," he said.

Kakashi let out a deep breath. "I won't stop you from coming if you want to. You're the Kazekage, and you know this land better than I do."

"But?"

"You're not used to being without your sand," Kakashi said bluntly. "If we're attacked and you hesitate… I'm used to fighting with less protection."

The tension had been visible in the lines of Gaara shoulders of the strain of his eyes ever since they first arrived in the desert. No surprise, when the young man was used to having a literal second skin on him at all times. Kakashi tried to imagine what life would be like if he had had his stone hardening technique active from birth – being stripped of it would make him feel incredibly vulnerable.

Gaara's face tightened. After a moment, he nodded. "Your reasoning is sound," he said. "But I will follow you if you do not return within three hours."

Shikamaru looked from one to the other with a face like thunder as his mind doubtlessly tried to figure out a safer strategy. "You're sure there's no water around here? Absolutely sure?"

Gaara looked out into the desert. "There are no signs of water. No cacti, no shrubs, no life. Not even bugs. And I do not know these lands. They are familiar and foreign all at once. I think we might be at the Western border of Wind Country – but little is known about those lands. There are rumors a powerful shinobi clan inhabited them once, but nobody has lived there for centuries."

Shikamaru sighed. "That rat we ate earlier wasn't looking too good either, I suppose." He looked back up at Kakashi. "Are you sure about this?"

Kakashi thought of what it had felt like to feel his father's chakra again after so many years. "Perfectly."

He set out barely an hour later, Shikamaru's kunai holster strapped around his free leg for extra ammunition. He left his flak vest behind but rolled out his sleeves to protect his skin against the sun. It was probably a pointless exercise; his skin was too pale to be able to weather a full day out in the desert without sunscreen. It was still a few hours before noon, but it was going to be hot without the protection of proper desert clothes or the sneaky Suna jutsu he usually employed to keep himself cool.

He looked back only once, at Shikamaru's worried expression and Gaara's self-recrimination, and finally Ebizou, dozing in a corner. He left.

It felt good to be alone again, although the circumstances were anything but ideal. He was used to anything but ideal, though. He thrived in it.

He followed Gaara's instructions to find his way back to the route they had taken earlier and set a brisk pace, just short of a jog. Without chakra he felt more animal than man, forced to rely on sight and sound and scent. It made him feel bare and unprotected.

The desert was eerily quiet.

The last time Kakashi had been in a landscape as silent as this one had been years ago, back when he had been in in ANBU. He had been given a solo mission to the land of Snow, where he had wandered through glazed forests and flurries of snow for days. But even there, there had been birds and rabbits, foxes leaping away at the sight of him. There had been life. Here, there was nothing.

Fortunately, that's where ANBU conditioning came in. _Don't think of discomfort, don't think of your chakra, ignore the pain in your jaw, think only of your objective and how to obtain it_. _Focus only on the here and now._

Instead, he thought about the damn scroll again.

* * *

Kakashi reached their old campsite according to schedule. He had a pounding headache and his feet felt rubbed raw by the sand, but he was rewarded with the sight of their bags, lying more or less where they had left them.

He didn't approach them directly but scoped the area out, much as they had with the prison. The creatures from earlier weren't anywhere to be seen. There was blood though, great swathes of darkened sand where the Sound shinobi had met their grisly end. Not snakes, then, or they would have swallowed them whole. Of course the sadism they had shown wasn't really a snakelike trait, either – unless you counted Orochimaru.

He waited for almost half an hour, and then climbed over the top of the dune and slid down through the sand. The backpacks were still there, although one of the creatures had ripped them open in search of food. Kakashi picked up one of his old shirts with a sense of regret, as he looked at the holes torn through them. Well, better his shirt than his chest.

He dropped the shirt and rummaged through the remnants of his bag. He found his water bottle first, and the scroll second. The creature hadn't damaged either. He next picked up a couple of exploding tags, still intact, and an extra shirt that was more or less hole-free. The dried food packets he had brought along had been torn open savagely, but evidently the creatures hadn't much cared for dried beef jerky. They had, however, managed to spoil it with their saliva. Great. _Thanks_.

Kakashi discarded his bag and found Shikamaru's. It was in a slightly better state and would at least be able to carry some weight, so after emptying it of everything they wouldn't need, he put his water bottle and the scroll in. He found more water amongst Ebizou's things, but one of the old man's bottles had been smashed and was unusable. On the upside, the old man had brought anti-inflammatory medicine. Kakashi quickly pocketed it.

Gaara's bags weren't particularly good loot either: he hadn't brought anywhere near as much water as the others, as if his body could sustain itself more effectively in the heat. Hell, perhaps it could. He hadn't seemed anywhere near as bothered by the first as the others. Perhaps it was a kind of bloodline limit. Kakashi took what he found anyway, and managed to scrounge up some unspoiled dried meat and fruit as well. Not bad, all things considered, but the lack of water would present a problem soon.

He drank a bit of water there and then, hoping to at least curb the headache a little. Once he was satisfied, he slung Shikamaru's bag over his shoulder and started walking.

He noticed the sound first, like wind whistling through Konoha's trees.

Something large and dark slithered through the sand toward him, meandering.

 _Snake_ , Kakashi thought. _It is a snake after all_.

He had barely finished the thought when the creature launched itself at him, its gaping maw opened wide and large enough to swallow him whole.

Kakashi ran. The creature screeched in an inhuman voice behind him, smashing into the sand with a mighty blow. A single kunai wouldn't be enough to stop this monster. Kakashi looked for a way out, for anything – there was only the sand and a small but high rock outcropping in the distance. With a curse, he grabbed a kunai. This whole not having chakra thing was starting to get incredibly old.

He leapt to the side to avoid another blow and threw the kunai at the creature's eye. The creature didn't respond fast enough and screeched in pain, blood and gunk running down its jaw. _Not used to shinobi_ , Kakashi thought.

As he ran to the heap of rocks, he also thought: _this thing had better not be able to spit venom._ He had had more than enough of being poisoned, thank you very much.

He cast a quick look over his shoulder and confirmed a suspicion: the creature didn't slither over the sand but through it, as though it were swimming. That's how it had snuck up on them: it could simply hide underneath the sand. It had probably buried itself into one of the dunes at night to digest.

He had to reach the rock outcropping. It wouldn't be able to dig through rocks. If he could get up high enough, he would be safe. His breath rasped in his throat. Sand entered his shoes and bit into his feet, tearing at his skin. He leapt at the rock just as the sliding sound returned, steadily getting louder. His heart began to race painfully fast. He leapt again, and this time it stuck- there was a hollow just above him that his fingers fit into. He pulled himself up with strong fingers used to the strain of climbing- but he wasn't as fast as he normally was. The thing hissed behind him, and he _couldn't reach his damn chakra._

He reached up further. Something bit into his hand but he didn't care- he had to get _out_ -

The skin of his fingers broke on sharp edged stone as he pulled himself up. When he reached the top of the stone, the massive snake launched out of the sand, right at him. He threw himself out of its path by instinct and fell onto his back before he realized the creature couldn't reach him. It hissed furiously below, and then the slithering noise slowly faded away.

Kakashi sat back up and tried to regain his breath. His heart had reverted to some primal, ancestral fear of giant creatures and was trying its best to hammer out of his chest. He could still see the sand creature, half hidden beneath the sand. It was waiting for him to come down. It was also out of reach of his kunai.

In short, he was a sitting duck.

Well. At least he would have plenty of time to figure out a strategy.

* * *

The female refugee who had lost her baby boy sighed one last time, and died.

Sakura's chin dropped to her chest as the hand clutched in her own went limp. There hadn't been much she could do for the poor woman. Medical aid came far too late, and there was no reassuring her that her infant son would be fine. Sakura could have tried lying, but these civilians had seen enough of Orochimaru's cruelty to know even an infant would not be safe in his hands. Sakura closed the woman's eyes with gentle fingers, anxiety clawing at her own gut.

Sakura had known for a long time that Orochimaru used civilian victims as much as he used shinobi, but it seemed almost impossible that civilians could survive the kind of horrors he put people through. Usually when she thought of Orochimaru, she thought of Yamato and Sasuke. Neither of them ever mentioned their past with the Sannin, as if they could erase it by simply never speaking of it again.

These refugees, however, bore their history on their faces. One of them had started to talk about his experiences sometime during the night, speaking in a soft voice with his eyes distant and sad. Some of the others joined him, sharing their own sad tales and taking turns to sit around the dying woman to stroke her hair or hold her hands. Sakura had tried not to listen in.

Now, they clustered around her once again to mourn her passing.

Sakura got up slowly, still looking at the dead woman's haggard face. _That's what exhaustion looks like_ , she thought. _Not just physical exhaustion, but mental as well._ _It's desperation._

Owl, Anko and Temari looked up when she approached them, and Temari's face fell. "She's gone, isn't she?"

Sakura nodded.

"We will have to bury her here," Owl said softly. "We can't take her all the way home."

Sakura nodded again.

Anko cursed quietly, perfectly encapsulating all of their feelings.

It didn't feel fair, but then nothing about the situation _was_. These people had been robbed from their homes, gone through unimaginable horrors, and now the only people capable of helping them at all were part of a scared, worried group of shinobi from the same village their captor had come from.

Owl was an efficient leader and even the Suna shinobi deferred to her judgment, but her ominous appearance scared the refugees. And, Sakura had to admit, there was something a little jarring about taking orders from someone whose skill set and competency she knew nothing about. It didn't matter that owl seemed to know what she was doing so long as Sakura couldn't be sure their moral compass was aligned. Owl was ANBU, after all. A veteran who had likely fought Suna shinobi during the invasion.

At least with someone like Kakashi, Sakura could be sure he was perfectly capable of setting his grudges aside and seeing things objectively. But Kakashi-sensei hadn't come back. By now, Sakura was pretty sure he wasn't going to, either. Not by appearing in the seal in a flash of light, anyway. Whatever had happened to him, she would have to wait to find out.

He wasn't dead, though. He couldn't be. She saw the same certainty in Temari's eyes, whose concern for her brother and boyfriend had left shadows under her eyes. Kankuro had attempted to reassure them even further by pretending not to be worried at all, but that was taking things too far.

'Not dead' wasn't the same thing as 'not in danger', after all. And if Orochimaru was behind all these things, the seal could well have taken them right into his lair.

Of course, knowing Kakashi-sensei, the odds were equally likely that he would just turn up one day, Icha Icha in hand, and wonder why everyone was staring at him in that funny way. The thought made her smile. He was such a loser, really. A proper dork, who had somehow managed to obtain the highest position in Konoha. Thinking about that made pride war with exasperation, as it always did. Because dork or not, he was team seven's dork. Well, one of them, anyway. He was also a true survivor.

Yamada, the Suna councilmember, came over to hand them each a portion of canned food. "Any change?" He asked. He alone seemed perfectly at ease with the situation. Perhaps, Sakura thought nastily, he was rather pleased that his three greatest critics had so conveniently disappeared.

"None whatsoever," Sakura said, perhaps a little bit too sharp. "You were with sensei last, weren't you? Did you see anything?"

Yamada shrugged. "Not that I can think of. We took the scenic route, through the reinforced cell. There was no sign of anyone there, though. You guys hit the jackpot."

"Reinforced?" Temari asked.

"Yeah, for high profile prisoners. The ones too strong for simple chakra seals."

Temari made a hissing noise. "To think this prison has been here all along, and yet no one ever told us. Makes me wonder if there are any other secrets the Council is keeping from us," she said, glaring at Yamada.

Yamada held up his hands defensively. "Don't look at me, I didn't make this place."

He hadn't exactly made friends over the last few hours, aggravating shinobi from both villages with his tactless remarks. Sakura was fairly sure that if it was up to him, they would leave the refugees behind to die.

Anko snorted. "Who else are we going to look at but the guy who kept it a secret all this time?" She said crankily. Her chakra was running a little low as a shadow clone of hers, impervious to hunger and thirst, was currently on its way back to Suna to ask for help. It was faster for a clone to go than an actual person, who would need sustenance, but that didn't mean Anko liked it.

"But they kept prisoners here. High-level prisoners," Owl said. She sounded thoughtful behind her mask. "How could they have kept it secret? When Konoha captured a well-known shinobi, they would practically parade them through the streets."

Sakura tried not to flinch. Humiliation to boost morale. _Classic_.

Yamada shrugged. "That's all fine and dandy if you've got the Daimyou in your pocket, but we didn't. The Kazekage needed permission for every bloody action he undertook. I guess he got tired of having to await the Daimyou's verdict of what was to be done with prisoners. I guess he didn't mind a small loss of morale. Anyway, most high-profile Suna shinobi were perfectly aware of this place. It's just the younger generation that doesn't know."

"And apparently, you never bothered to tell them," Sakura said, thinking of the Uchiha clan massacre and how long the village had kept Naruto's identity a secret from her generation. She didn't care for secrecy.

Anko chuckled.

"All I know is what my father told me. It's Ebizou-sama you should be accusing. It was his generation that built this place, and his generation that used it. I only ever heard stories as a boy, but they seemed more fairytale than truth," Yamada said. "Like bedtime stories to keep us from getting too scared. Except the stories were true. I remember how angry I was that they wouldn't let me tell any of my friends."

"Tell them what? That the people in charge were keeping secrets from the entire village?" Temari bit back.

"No, that Sunagakure was every bit as strong as Konoha. That it managed to capture even shinobi like the White Fang. Imagine if the entire village had known!" Yamada smiled, his eyes fiery. "For every high profile shinobi we captured, we could have had celebrations."

Sakura's stomach dropped at the mention of that nickname, and she could have sworn the other two Konoha women flinched as well, too minute for Yamada to catch on. "That's what you used a reinforced cell for," she said coldly, "to keep shinobi like him trapped."

Yamada's smile faded a little as he caught onto her change of tone. Or maybe he was figuring out that talking about capturing shinobi and holding them prisoner wasn't a very tactful thing to do, when there were shinobi from that same village listening. "Yeah. I guess." He crossed his arms across his chest.

"The cell you took Kakashi-sensei to," Sakura said, more to herself than to Yamada. " _Brilliant_." Owl's head dipped slightly.

Temari eyed her warily. "White Fang… He was a Konoha shinobi, right?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, and got back up to her feet. She wasn't about to tell Yamada White Fang's real name. She didn't think Kakashi-sensei would want her to. She tried not to linger about what being taken to his father's prison cell might have done to him. "I will help the refugees with the burial. Also – I asked Sasuke to come here. He's a fast traveler, so don't be alarmed when he gets here."

She got up and turned away, taking some sadistic enjoyment from Yamada's muttered " _Sasuke?_ Uchiha Sasuke?" and went to join the refugees around the dead woman's body.

The boy with the canine hearing was crying softly, stroking the woman's pale hair. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'm going to help you now. Do you know her name?" She asked, nodding at the woman.

The boy shook his head slowly. "No, but… She was kind to me, even after her husband died. Will you… Will you also help us find her son? It's what she wanted most. Please. We can't let that man have the baby."

* * *

The solution to Kakashi's little problem wasn't actually all that hard to think of. The real question was whether he would be physically capable of it without his chakra. He felt his chakra as little more than an echo of its former self, lagging behind like a shadow, unresponsive and useless. He was fairly sure he could feel it more clearly than when they had first gone through the seal portal, but it was too far out of his reach to be useful.

He pondered the question of what to do next as he wrapped an exploding tag around a kunai. Without chakra, he wouldn't be able to set it off – unless he could figure out a way to light a spark. Once he had set off a spark, he would have 5 to 10 seconds before the tag exploded and took everything in its path with it. Five to ten was seconds was plenty to a man who had been capable of running from exploding tags since the age of seven, but not to one without his chakra.

A bow drill was useless without wood. Two clashing kunai would occasionally spark if they hit each other hard enough, but it would be hard to mimic those circumstances here. And that was all assuming that whatever had blunted their chakra hadn't also sniffed out the seal's exploding capacity.

If the snake thing could be a dear and reveal its secret, super convenient ability to breathe fire **,** though, that would be great.

His other options? Wait until nightfall and hope for the best. Downsides: Gaara would come looking for him and walk right into a trap. That, and the creatures had attacked at night. Dumb idea. Idea number two: distract it somehow. Downsides: it was born to survive in the desert, so it would likely outstrip him.

That brought him to idea number three: figure out its weaknesses and go for a direct confrontation.

Why did it dig through the sand? Why not simply slither across, which would surely be faster? Why did it attack at night? Kakashi narrowed his eyes and observed the creature as best as he could. He was sure it had had large, pale eyes last night, but now he only saw a slit for its intact, right eye. The left was crusted over with dark blood.

So… _Ah_.

The sun was very nearly directly at his back, still climbing. With a bit of luck, the snake was only able to distinguish silhouettes. Kakashi shifted his weight. The snake didn't immediately respond to his movement, so he risked walking to the edge of the outcropping and sitting down, changing the silhouette of the outcropping. The snake shifted, but didn't move.

Kakashi climbed down a little bit further, keeping the kunai in his hand. He looked up – the top of the outcropping was now above his head. Perfect. To the snake it would seem as though he had left.

The snake raised its head from underneath the sand and sniffed at the air with its tongue. It began to slither towards Kakashi slowly, almost carefully. Kakashi smiled to himself. If he just stayed here...

If Kakashi just stuck to the side of the outcropping, it would have to get very close before it could actually detect him.

Or so he hoped, anyway.

The snake came closer and closer, moving its head from side to side as it searched for him. It could still smell him, but…

Large pale eyes and nocturnal attacks meant the creature likely suffered from sensitive eyes. The eyes were large enough that it likely depended on them at night. It would normally hide in the sand, protecting itself, striking only when its prey was already nearby.

So why on earth it was so adamant about attacking him even after he had already injured it confused Kakashi. Most creatures would back off after losing an eye. For some reason, this one didn't.

As the creature came closer he could observe it more carefully. It scales were a riot of dark colors, swirling and swooping around its body. A set of small horns rose up over its eyes, likely intended to shield them even further. Its head was uncommonly narrow for a snake, more lizard-like in shape. It reminded Kakashi of the strange mutant creatures living in the Forest of Death, bred for aggression and size rather than evolutionary success. He could even see useless, vestigial legs attached to its chest, remnants of its lizard ancestors. Gaara had mentioned a shinobi clans that had once lived here. Perhaps they had been responsible for breeding this strange creature.

It was a little hard to feel bad for the creature when it still had the Sound shinobi's blood around its muzzle, though.

Kakashi's fingers gripped the kunai tightly as he carefully shifted his feet beneath him so he could propel himself forwards. The snake raised its head –

Kakashi mentally apologized to his friends, and leapt at its remaining eye.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Thank you for reading, let me know if you liked it!**

 **Hurray for Kakashi trivializing near-death experiences. Also, remember that baby boy. He might just come back. Next chapter, expect lots of Naruto.**

 **In other news, I'm working on a canon-divergent Team Minato-centric story that starts with Rin becoming a jinchuuriki and actually _surviving_ , and goes from there. I'm pretty excited about it, so maybe consider subscribing or following my account or checking out my tumblr, Hii-raeth, for updates.**


	11. Distance

**Chapter 11. Distance.**

* * *

Senju Tsunade cracked a grin and slumped down into her most comfortable armchair. A bottle of her favorite sake sat on the end table, easily within reach. She threw her legs up on the table with a grimace and wiggled her toes. The nerves tingled in protest, but her muscles were nice and warm from the long, hot bath she had just taken.

Retirement tasted sweet. No chunin harassing her to do paperwork, no catastrophes waiting to be dealt with, and – bless the gods – no loudmouth kid barging in on her every time he got some new crazy idea in his head.

She hummed to herself and picked up the bottle to take a deep, long swig. Screw the world, this was Tsunade-time. The hospital could wait.

That delightful sense of peace and relaxation lasted for roughly two and a half minutes before the aforementioned loudmouthed kid kicked open her door in a flurry of chakra and urgency.

"TSUNADE-BAACHAN!" Naruto shouted, apparently unaware she was barely five feet away from him and not, in fact, deaf, no matter what rumors might be going around.

The bottle in Tsunade's hand gave up its struggle against overwhelming outside pressure and burst into a thousand pieces. Tsunade's eyebrow ticked. It hadn't done that in a while.

Naruto froze on her doorstep and gulped audibly. "Ahhh – err –"

The door he had just kicked in gave a last, defiant screech, and fell out of its hinges.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" Tsunade tossed the remnants of the bottle at Naruto.

He squealed in fear and threw himself behind her sofa.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tsunade roared.

A single, tanned hand appeared above the sofa, shaking minutely. "I'm so sorry, Tsunade-baachan – it's just that there's trouble –"

The urge to punt him out of a nearby window became particularly strong. Instead, Tsunade let out a fierce growl and fell back into her chair. Her knees were shaking. There would be no beating anyone up today. Damn nerve damage.

She glared up at Naruto as he carefully reappeared from his hiding place and said, in the voice she knew usually left him shaking in his boots, " _What_?"

Naruto held out a letter with a shaking hand. "I just got this from Sasuke. Trouble in Sunagakure…" He paused, gulped again. "He thinks Orochimaru is involved. And, err, Kakashi-sensei. I think he's in trouble. I tried contactin' Gaara to ask him about it, but he's not responding."

There was a lot of information there, but Tsunade had no trouble unpacking it.

Of course.

Was it so much to ask that her old teammate would accept the inevitable and settle into retirement himself?

Or for that matter…

"What has my idiot successor done this time?" She said instead, and infused it with as much chagrin as she could manage.

Ah – those were the magic words. Naruto's posture changed. "All Sasuke would say is that he – that he vanished."

Vanished. Of _course_ he did.

Tsunade kept her face blank. "Vanished. And that's all Sasuke would say?"

"Yeah. So I gotta –"

Tsunade held up a hand to forestall the enthusiastic rant that was surely about follow. "You want to go after them, don't you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

Naruto nodded, his eyes blazing.

"And ignore your Hokage's orders in the process?"

"If it means saving his stupid butt, then hell yeah!" Naruto said, pumping his fist.

So Kakashi was in trouble, his fate unknown, and Naruto was willing to go to any length to save him – now why did this sound so familiar?

Oh, that's right. This sort of thing happened to team Seven all the damn time. Excuse her for not immediately leaping up in worry.

She slammed her hand on the side table. The furniture in the room gave a gratifying little jump. "Are you telling me you do not trust Kakashi and Sakura to figure this out by themselves?"

Guilt flashed over Naruto's face for about half a second before his customary, entirely too determined expression made its return. "We're teammates. My teammates are in trouble. I'm not just going to sit around and wait. And anyway, sensei is still recovering."

And when Naruto didn't want to sit around and wait, as he called obeying orders, there wasn't anyone capable of stopping him from going wherever the hell he liked.

At least if Orochimaru was involved it explained why Kakashi sent Naruto back home. Dammit! She had asked Kakashi not to tell her every damn thing going on in the village, she was _retired_ , but that didn't mean she couldn't still be pissed off for being left in the dark. Screw being reasonable.

She sighed and sagged into her chair, wishing it would swallow her. It was true that the whole incident with Fox had only been a few months ago… Kakashi was resilient, of course, but he had been very ill. Even so, Naruto couldn't go running off every time a friend of his was possibly in trouble. Tsunade knew her work; the seals filtering the poison in Kakashi's system had very nearly finished their task, and Kakashi should be more than capable of taking care of himself.

Maybe it was time to play the guilt card.

"Didn't you come back to the village just because Kakashi asked you to?" Tsunade said. "Or are you telling me you inflicted Killer Bee on us for no good reason?"

"Hey, Bee is great – but that's not the point! I get why sensei sent me here, I really do, but it seems to me that if sensei is onto the old snake all the way in Suna, Orochimaru isn't going to go after us here," Naruto said.

Tsunade was fairly sure her old teammate wasn't planning a hit on the village at all – he knew better than to try, what with Sasuke choosing Konoha's side. Anyway, she had thought his ambition had been curbed. That he had… Not retired, but chosen a quieter life.

Evidently not. He had just chosen a different playing ground.

So what had Kakashi found that made him want to keep Naruto inside? Her successor was a genius. He didn't know Orochimaru as well as she did, obviously, but he had seen the man save Sasuke's life and slink off. Then again, Orochimaru's definition of a quiet life wasn't exactly the same as that of anyone else. She pushed down an old and familiar sense of regret. 'A quiet life' wouldn't stop him from doing whatever the hell he liked within his own village. Perhaps Kakashi felt Konoha had tolerated him for too long. And perhaps it had.

As for keeping Naruto away from the conflict, Kakashi's motivations could be as simple as keeping Naruto from seeing things no one should have to see.

"You can't just leave. What were Kakashi's orders, exactly?" She said.

"Oh – that I should go home because Konoha might need someone capable of defeating an S-rank criminal…" He trailed off, his expression suddenly thoughtful. " _Someone_ ," he repeated softly.

Oh boy. Naruto narrowed his eyes into a squint. "Someone," he said again.

Tsunade squinted back. "You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking."

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face, far too mischievous for Tsunade's liking.

" _No_ ," she said, in the tone of voice she usually used to keep Tonton from stealing her snacks.

"I'm not going to do anything Kakashi-sensei didn't tell me to do," Naruto said innocently.

Well. There was no dissuading an Uzumaki once they had set their mind to something. Tsunade should know; she was a quarter Uzumaki herself.

She sighed deeply. At least with Naruto gone, her retirement wouldn't be interrupted so often. That, and perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about her successor quite as much. "Whatever you're going to do… Make sure you think it through for once," she said. "You won't be doing Kakashi any good if you endanger either yourself or the village."

Naruto gave her his best innocent smile before throwing her a salute. "You can count on it!"

"And tell Yamato!" She bellowed after him.

She groaned again, and gave her sake bottle a forlorn look. "It's never just going to be me and you, is it?" She murmured, and then stood up to make her way to the hospital. If there was going to be trouble, she might as well be prepared.

* * *

The real beauty about Naruto's scheme, he thought, was that it wouldn't just allow Naruto to reunite the team and help out Suna, it was also a great way to pay Kakashi back for the many, many times he had exploited loopholes to get out of paying dinner bills.

Of course, that was little more than an afterthought given the circumstances. Naruto leapt across the rooftops with great determination, hands already crossed in a familiar sign."Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A mere second later, several copies of himself were grinning up at him expectantly. He saluted them. "Hello boys. You know who to get, don't you?"

A chorus of "yeah!"'s and "yes sir's" rose up, and then the clones scattered.

Naruto nodded to himself in satisfaction. Now, all he would need was a venue. Somewhere large and spacious, where people didn't overhear.

Surprisingly, Ino and Sai were the first to make their way to the training field Naruto had chosen. Ino frowned and held up her and Sai's hands, clasped together. "What the hell is this about? We're in the middle of the date!"

Sai seemed mildly surprised by this statement and opened his mouth to say something. He closed it again. _Character development_ , Naruto thought.

"Glad you made it!" Naruto called out. Better to ignore the questions for now. "We just gotta wait a little bit until everyone is here, okay?"

Ino scowled. "This better be good, Naruto."

"It will be, it will be!" He grinned, trying to be patient despite the itch under his skin that told him to leave as soon as possible.

Chouji arrived next. Unlike his teammate he was perfectly pleasant about the whole thing. Of course, that could be the bag of crisps in his hand talking.

Team 8 showed up together, as they always did. From the look of things, they had been training; there were twigs in Hinata's hair and Kiba and Akamaru looked like they had been rolling around in a mud bath. Shino looked immaculate, of course.

Hinata gave him a friendly little wave which he answered with his best awkward smile. Things had been a little weird between them lately, ever since they had caught her father spying on them during a date. She had been too embarrassed and he too startled (terrified, if he was being completely honest) to talk about it, so it hung in the air between them like a dark, Hiashi-shaped cloud.

Fortunately, team Gai came to his rescue, their argument audible from miles away. "And I'm telling you, Lee, you can't just go around replacing people's wardrobes without their consent!" Tenten was saying.

Lee didn't look particularly sorry for whatever he had done. "I consider it to be a sign of my utmost respect and admiration! What better compliment to make than to ask someone to join me in my youthful lifestyle –"

"But a six-year-old Academy student? You don't even know if he has any taijutsu talent!" Tenten looked close to tearing her hair out.

Gai laughed uproariously. "My adorable little students, I'm truly happy to see the two of you taking an interest in taking up students of your own! I will certainly be the happiest man in town when you do!"

Gai spun his wheelchair into a series of complex and eye-wateringly fast turns, the tires squeaking in protest. He grinned lightly and pointed a finger straight at Naruto. "But for now it is still time for you to be youthful and be with your friends! The honorable Naruto-kun has invited us all here for something important, I can just feel it!"

The number of exclamation marks exchanged in the last couple of sentences made Naruto's ears ring. How Tenten managed, he still wasn't sure. "Ha – yup! That's right," he said, laughing awkwardly. "Thanks for coming, guys."

"You're welcome!" Gai and Lee chorused, giving him identical thumbs up.

Somewhere deep inside him, Naruto was sure he could hear Kurama groan.

He gave his stomach a comforting pat. _This is the guy who almost took out Madara, remember?_

He folded his fingers together a little awkwardly as his friends grouped around him, looking at him expectantly. "So, this is kind of important. There's something up in Sunagakure, and Sakura asked us for help." Well, technically, she had only asked Sasuke, but that was a mere detail.

"Suna? Why, what's wrong?" Chouji asked. He didn't sound particularly concerned but again, that could just be the potato crisps he was still eating.

"I'm not really sure yet, but I think my team is in trouble. I think Kakashi-sensei is in trouble again, anyway, so, like, that should be a village priority, right? Since he's the Hokage, and all that," Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. Justifying the whole thing was a little bit more difficult than he had expected, but he would manage. Talking people into things was kind of his shtick.

"Anyway, I think I should go there, but we also think Orochimaru might be involved so there should be someone here too, in case he attacks. So I figured I would ask you guys to keep an eye out – no, I mean, to properly survey the place and make sure everything goes right, you know?"

This wasn't really coming out anywhere near as smoothly as Naruto had hoped. The others were staring at him with slightly puzzled expressions, bordering on concern.

"Look, I just know something has gone wrong and Sakura asked for our help. She wouldn't just do that for no good reason. However, while I'm gone I want to make sure Konoha is looked after. Sensei asked me to make sure of that, so it's important," he said.

"Trouble with Orochimaru? And you think Kakashi is involved?" Gai asked, slowly. "ANBU should be watching Orochimaru."

"Well, clearly they haven't been doing a very good job, 'cause his people snuck all the way into mainland Wind Country," Naruto said impatiently. "One of Sasuke's buddies ran into them, but he heard sensei and the others were chasing after them as well. Next thing Sasuke says is that sensei disappeared."

Well, _that_ silenced them.

"Look, I know he's strong, and I do trust him to look out for himself," Naruto pleaded, looking at Gai, "but he hasn't fully recovered yet and he's not very good at taking it easy, y'know? And anyway, I think it's bigger than just him. If Orochimaru is involved, it could be big. I want to be there when whatever happens, happens."

"Well, what about us?" Ino asked, putting a hand in her side. "We want to be there as well. Shikamaru and Sakura are there, and we all care about Kakashi-sensei. Can't we all go together?"

"We have had no such orders," Gai said, a little gruffly. "If all of you go, there will be no one left in the village who knows about any of this. Will there?" He looked at Naruto.

"Tsunade-baachan knows, but she's just one person and she doesn't fight anymore. That's why I'm asking you guys. I trust you, and I know you're strong. If we go around telling everyone, people will just panic," Naruto said.

Gai nodded his agreement.

"I guess it makes sense," Kiba said, a little doubtfully. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"It does. Why? We do not want to put all of our eggs in one basket," Shino added.

It was Hinata who spoke up last. "Naruto-kun... I understand you want to go, but… Don't you think that between Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru and all the others they can solve it themselves?"

Naruto's mind blanked. _No they can't_ , he wanted to say. They can't, because he loved them and he didn't want them to be hurt. But Kakashi had vanished just after Naruto had thought he was finally safe, and Sakura was in the middle of nowhere without any of her teammates, and Sasuke could be face-to-face with Orochimaru again, after everything. Because he couldn't forget how close all three of them had come to dying during the war and after, when he hadn't been there to help.

He was silent for too long. The others were all looking at him with a mixture of sympathy and confusion. They knew he had no real reason to go. They knew it was just an excuse.

Except three of Naruto's favorite people in the world were a long way away, and all he wanted to do was to be with them.

"I am a part of team 7, too," Sai said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. "So is Yamato-taichou. I think perhaps the two of us should go to him and discuss the best course of action."

Naruto's eyes dropped to the floor. For a moment, he felt like a little boy again, all his secrets exposed for everyone to see. Anxiety and reason warred.

 _Come on, kid. You know he's right_ , Kurama said, unexpectedly gentle.

Naruto sniffed and nodded, and looked up at Sai. "Yeah. Okay. Let's do it."

His friends dispersed slowly, until only Sai and Hinata were left behind. Hinata glanced up at Sai and asked, gently, "Would you give us a moment?"

Sai took perhaps a little bit longer than most to register her request, but nodded. "I will see you in Yamato-taichou's office," he told Naruto, and left.

Naruto nodded. "I'm sorry. I made a mess of it," he said, when Hinata came to stand next to him.

She smiled sweetly and grasped the fingers of his good hand between her own. "You didn't. You just really care. There's no shame in that."

"I know, but I rushed into it. I dragged you all out here for some dumb idea that wasn't going to work anyway… " Naruto looked down. "What if sensei was right? What if Orochimaru does attack Konoha, and I'm not here to stop him?"

"Well, we would do our best," Hinata said, with a wry twist to her smile. "I know we're not as strong as you or your teammates, but we love this village just as much."

"Yeah, 'course you do. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do. It seems like only yesterday when Fox attacked Kakashi. And Sasuke has a history with Orochimaru. And Sakura cares so much, you know? I just want to be there for them, if something goes wrong," Naruto said, squeezing her fingers.

She touched his cheek with her free hand. "I know you do. And you will, if you have to – but not before you know all the facts." She pulled her hand back. Her eyes hardened. "Yamato-san is the leader of ANBU, isn't he? If anyone knows Orochimaru's movements, it's him. Go to him, like Sai suggested. Figure out what's going on first, and then decide what to do. I know you can do it."

Naruto smiled at her. Always so sensible, his Hinata.

" _It's a good thing she's so smart when you're so dumb_ ," Kurama rumbled.

Naruto ignored him. "Thanks, Hinata. You always know what to say."

She shrugged slightly. "Not really. I just know you."

Naruto grinned, bent forward and kissed her cheek. He gave her a wave and ran off to find his remaining teammates. Perhaps kicking it with ANBU for a while would be fun…

* * *

Sasuke reached Sakura and her team around noon. He'd made the trip a little bit faster than he would have under different circumstances, so his feet ached and his eyes felt tired from the glaring sun. Not that he was about to admit to that. Not to a bunch of strangers, anyway.

And they were strangers, the people surrounding Sakura. He vaguely remembered a couple of them, like the creepy snake lady and Gaara's siblings from the chuunin exams. Decent shinobi, though hardly brilliant. The only other shinobi in their company were an older Suna shinobi with extravagant facial tattoos and a female ANBU in an owl mask, her deep violet hair the only sign of individuality. A larger group of civilians was huddled together at a short distance from the shinobi, around what appeared to be a freshly dug grave. Perhaps one of them had died. Sakura would've said, wouldn't she, if someone he knew had died?

It was the ANBU who noticed him first. She had laid her chakra out across the desert like a net, spanning almost half a mile. She was a sensor, and quite an impressive one at that. Sasuke could see her shoulders tense when she noticed him. To her credit, she didn't make a grab for her sword.

Sakura noticed him next, her face lighting up. "Sasuke!" She called out, and for a moment she smiled as brightly as Naruto. The smile faded quickly though, and was replaced by a more serious expression.

"Hi," he said when he reached her. He wasn't sure what else to say. He looked her over quickly for injuries, but saw nothing more serious than an already faded bruise on her upper arm.

"I'm fine," she said, catching his look. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I wasn't sure who else to call. I know you're not a seals expert, but I thought… Perhaps with your Sharingan or Rinnegan..."

Sasuke was actually rather keen to deactivate the two doujutsu to keep them from digging into his reserves, but he had the feeling that doing so now would be poorly timed. The Suna shinobi were practically glaring at him, and Sakura seemed so hopeful. He sighed softly. "Where is this seal?" He asked.

Sakura gave him a relieved smile. "It's this way. Here, I will show you."

The abandoned prison complex was huge and intimidating even in its dilapidated, ruined state. Sasuke's eyes turned the protective chakra barrier around it into a pearlescent shell of colors. It must have been incredibly impressive when it was first cast, before time and distance had caused it to fade. Perhaps one of the people who had originally cast it was still alive – otherwise, it probably would have dissipated a long time ago.

Away from the other shinobi, he allowed his Sharingan to fade.

As Sakura led him further into the ruins, the telltale signs of Konoha involvement began to show: one of the buildings have been blown up almost entirely, allowing him to see down, down, down into the depths of its many basements. The prison had at least four levels below ground, each of them equipped with cells.

The Suna of thirty years ago had either been stronger than Sasuke had thought, or it had been more ambitious.

Sakura led him all the way down. The lowest level was dark even with the sunlight falling in from above. A couple of burned out torches lay on the ground. Sasuke took one of them and lit it with a basic fire jutsu. He grabbed another, lit it as well, and handed it to Sakura.

She looked tired in the half light as she lowered the torch to illuminate the floor. Dark symbols appeared, curving around and forming a perfect circle in the middle of the room. At first Sasuke thought it had been drawn in ink, but the Rinnegan was picking up signs of animal matter. It was blood.

He followed the trail to a smaller room that had probably served as a guard station once. He wasn't actually sure what exactly the Rinnegan was showing him – the trail wasn't blood or chakra, but rather… Life force, perhaps. Something that connected the blood to something in his room.

To something in the closet in the corner of the room. A layered _genjutsu_ hid it from view, but the illusion was no match for his eyes.

He kicked the closet open and two bodies came falling out.

"This is how they got the blood for the seal," he muttered.

At his side, Sakura gasped. She rushed forward and turned the bodies over, but it was clearly too late. They were both dead. Sakura's face crumpled. Sasuke looked away.

"They used the two Suna chuunin who stood watch over the prison," she said softly, when she recovered. "They were sixteen."

Sasuke stilled. It was certainly Orochimaru's MO to use and abuse people until they fell apart, regardless of their age. "I thought most Suna shinobi didn't know about this place?"

"They were from Yamada-san's clan. Oh no, we'll have to tell him they're dead.." Sakura covered her mouth with her hands. "I think they were his nephews."

Sasuke shook off the involuntary shiver that went down his back. "Let's focus on what we can do here and now, first. That seal, that's where you saw Kakashi last?

Sakura tore herself away from the bodies with visible difficulty. "I – yeah. Him and Shikamaru, and the Suna Elder, Ebizou-sama."

Sasuke left the guard room. His footsteps echoed eerily across the seal in question. He reactivated his Sharingan and focused.

"Tch," the chakra that had once lit up the seal had faded, dying even as he watched. He had to push more chakra into his eyes to be able to focus on the myriad of interconnecting lines and chakra pools. Sakura was right; he was no seals expert by any means, but he could understand and see their layout, even their purpose if he really focused.

Now, for example, he could see the seal's core extended into the earth like a pipeline running away to some distant, unknown location. "This seal is connected to something. Another seal like it, perhaps," he said. "Except…"

One of the strings making up the seal's core looked like it had snapped suddenly and accidentally. Like someone had tampered with it… He focused on the physical shape of the seal on the floor, and noticed a large crack running through.

"Another seal like it?" Sakura said thoughtfully. "Do you mean here, in the prison?"

"No, it's much further away. There's a line of chakra that's supposed to connect the two of them. I can still see it, tunneling into the earth. If you could power it with chakra – a lot of chakra – you could probably get it to work again. That crack in the floor tampered with it, but it didn't destroy it," Sasuke said.

He strode over to another part of the seal, where he could see a dark, gaping hole where chakra should be. "I think you can even store chakra in it, so you can operate it with fewer people. There's these empty pockets you could use…"

"Why would this seal be connected to another one? What purpose would that serve? One of the refugees was saying the Sound shinobi forced some of the other refugees to go through it when it was activated, and that it made the bystanders feel strange," Sakura said, tapping her chin in thought.

"Strange how?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Numb, I guess. Anyway, Kakashi-sensei must have somehow triggered the seal. Don't you think so? It's the only explanation for how he could disappear without there being anyone else around," she said, whirling around to meet him with a fierce expression.

Sasuke looked away. There wasn't really any way to be sure, was there? They could only speculate.

"So maybe if we fix this seal, it can take us wherever it took Kakashi-sensei and the others," Sakura went on, hopeful.

Except that was far too simple, wasn't it? They couldn't fix the seal because they didn't really understand the seal. Sasuke's eyes brought partial understanding, not knowledge. He couldn't just improvise, throw some blood around and hope for the best. Such a corrupted seal was more likely to kill them on the spot.

He met Sakura's eyes and shook his head, slowly. Her smile faded and her shoulders dropped. It made his stomach churn to see her like this.

"We can't just do nothing," she said weakly.

Sasuke closed his eyes. There was nothing to _be_ done. The seal had already faded to the point where tracking its core line to the other seal would be impossible, even with his eyes.

"We'll have to trust Kakashi to know what he's doing," he said, surprising himself.

Sakura looked up with wide eyes. "You realize you're talking about the man who managed to get himself _poisoned_ because he had to play a prank?" She asked slowly.

Sasuke grimaced.

"Also, as it happens, the man who ends up hospitalized on a monthly basis?" She continued, faintly.

True, Hatake Kakashi was in many ways a walking disaster just waiting to happen – but he was also one of the few people Sasuke would trust with his life, now more so than ever. Kakashi was the man who had promised Sasuke to truly change Konoha. And somehow, Sasuke believed him.

"But he always pulls through, doesn't he? He always gets the job done?" He finally said, a little gruffly.

Sakura blinked and then slowly, softly, smiled. "You're right, Sasuke. I shouldn't be doubting him, not after everything we've been through. Perhaps… Perhaps we should focus on what we can do. Like helping those refugees, and bringing these poor boys back home." She looked back at the guard station with wistful eyes.

Sasuke dipped his head in acknowledgment. "We will find a way to help Kakashi. And if we can't, we can at least figure out what Orochimaru is up to."

That, if nothing else, would be worth pursuing. Sasuke hadn't seen his old mentor in a while and, quite frankly, there were more than a few things he wanted to tell the old snake…

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I love Tsunade, she's one of my favorites to write. Anyway, in case it isn't clear she sustained nerve damage from her injuries fighting Madara. Her lower body functions but is not as responsive as it should be. Managing the accompanying pain is a doddle when you're the best medic in the world, but actually fixing the issue is less so. I mean,** _ **the woman was cut in half**_ **.**

 **Also, Naruto is a gift and so much fun to write. If he wasn't so overwhelmingly powerful that he can just take out any threat without breaking a sweat, I would use him everywhere. I have to admit I wasn't big on him getting together with Hinata at first, but I don't mind writing it. I feel like they could be pretty cute with, you know, actual screen time and development. *shakes fist at Kishi***


	12. A Child of One's Own

**Chapter 12.** **A Child of One's Own**

* * *

One of the snake's fangs had sunk about three inches into Kakashi's forearm before he finally noticed its presence. When he did, he merely snorted. He pulled the fang out with about as much regard for its potential poisonous nature as he usually showed little old ladies when they spied him reading Icha Icha. Even if there was poison in his bloodstream, Tsunade and Sakura's seal would just neatly filter it out. For once, the whole episode with Fox turned out to be somewhat useful.

Cleaning the wound was a bit harder since he would need the antiseptic for Shikamaru and he didn't want to waste any water, so he did his best with just a few drops and a clean strip of cloth before tying it up.

In death, the snake's corpse was still large enough to reach his hip. It hadn't put up much of a fight after he jammed his knife through its already injured eye, but before that it had twisted and snapped its powerful body in an attempt to get him off its head. It would've worked too, if Kakashi hadn't ruthlessly dug another blade into its skin to give himself a handhold.

Now, he pried the second blade loose and pocketed the dark scales that came off alongside the broken off fang. They would be useful for research purposes, if nothing else. He was pretty sure his earlier estimate was correct, and that the snake creatures were the remnants of some old, mutated type of summons that guarded the old clans living in the desert some hundred years ago. They weren't Orochimaru's type of creature; too old, for one thing, and no sign of chakra usage to be felt. They were safe on that account, if nothing else.

Kakashi turned and squinted up at the sun. Damn. All of this had taken longer than he had expected. Gaara would come looking for him in an hour. Kakashi eyed the corpse one last time and briefly wondered whether it would be worth cutting out its skull for the dramatic effect, but something told him it would not be well received by his allies. Besides, he looked much better in black.

... He really needed water, soon.

He slung Shikamaru's backpack on again, and started the long trek back to his friends. Unfortunately, it hadn't gotten any less hot. His cheekbones burned dully and underneath the mask his face felt uncomfortably hot. The urge was strong to just take it off altogether, but the idea of not wearing it around other people sent an comfortable shiver down his spine. He would have to bear the discomfort.

"That's what you get for not packing sunscreen when you go on an unexpected teleport-assisted trip," he murmured.

On the upside, his chakra system was starting to feel less dead by the hour. Already he could feel his chakra moving through his body, much slower than it usually did, but there. It had to have been the teleport that somehow numbed all feeling… If the teleportation technique Kumogakure used damaged the body, and the version Minato sensei's old bodyguards used required four people to activate it, it stood to reason that any major teleportation seal would have some kind of drawback.

So how on earth had Minato sensei managed Hiraishin?

On the upside, he had memorized Minato's seal design with the Sharingan, back when he'd been a boy and still eager to learn every technique his sensei was capable of using. He had since abandoned the idea for incompatibility with his fighting style and chakra capacity, but he could still remember the sheer intricacy of its design. Except… He didn't understand each of its functions. The technique's inventor, Senju Tobirama, had used his sister-in-law's ancient Uzumaki secrets to design the seal, secrets that had been lost along with Uzugakure.

So the next question was how on earth Orochimaru had managed to get his hands on any kind of teleportation seal blueprint. He obviously didn't have the whole picture or there wouldn't have been such major drawbacks, but how did he think of this at all? Had it been his work or someone else's? Had he stolen something of Konoha's during the war, or before that?

Kakashi bit his lip. The idea of Orochimaru with any kind of technique that resembled Hiraishin was not a great one. Again and again, reasons to try and bring the sannin down appeared before him. Not that he'd had much sympathy for Orochimaru before then, but…

Dammit. Why couldn't Orochimaru have just stayed dead?

 _You can't just shove these issues off onto Naruto when you retire_ , another voice whispered, and it sounded suspiciously like Obito. Kakashi scowled. "I probably can't, can I?"

He thought of the dying woman crying for her child. An infant currently in danger, or already dead.

"Yeah, I really can't," he growled, and increased his pace.

* * *

Gaara met him about halfway back to the cave, his green eyes narrowed in worry. "Are you all right? You're late."

Kakashi smiled. "My friends would tell you I'm always late. Don't worry, I'm fine. I come bearing gifts. How are Shikamaru and Ebizou?"

Gaara's posture relaxed a little. "Shikamaru needs water, but his wound looks good. Ebizou, on the other hand… He's still coughing, and it's not getting any better."

Their eyes met in mutual understanding. Unless they could get to some form of civilization, Ebizou would likely die out here. He was too old and too sick to thrive.

"What we really need is antibiotics, but I doubt we'll get so lucky. I did find some antiseptics for Shikamaru's wound," Kakashi held up his injured arm. He wouldn't be able to avoid drawing attention to it, anyway, so he might as well get it over with.

Gaara's lips thinned. "What happened?"

"I ran into one of our scaly friends. I should have guessed it was nocturnal and would stick around after its meal, but…" He shrugged. _I was willing to risk it_ , he didn't say. "He won't bother us anymore. If the other one does show up, its eyes are its weakness. A torch or a well-thrown knife might do the trick."

"Good. Just make sure it doesn't get infected. We can't use another injured person on this team."

Kakashi dipped his head in acknowledgment. "I'll do my best to stay in one piece. On the upside, I don't know about you, but I can feel my chakra again," he added, as they started to move in the direction of the cave.

Gaara blinked. "I thought perhaps I had imagined it."

"Nope. Has Shikamaru said anything?"

"No, but his reserves are smaller. He might not feel it as soon as we do."

It was rather delightful to not be counted amongst those with smaller reserves once, and Kakashi resisted the urge to smile. He missed the Sharingan for everything it represented and everything it had allowed him to do, but he really, really didn't miss the 24/7 chakra drain. He also rather enjoyed being able to see the world through two eyes, when it came down to it. The desert could be pretty in its own way, with its dusky orange grounds and the blue, blue sky overhead. The terrain they were entering now was more rocky, with fewer dunes to obscure their view. They could see for miles.

"I won't pretend I fully understand why your ancestors settled in this land, but I have to admit – there's a certain beauty to it," he said softly.

Gaara's lip quirked up. "Personally I don't see the point of trees, but I suppose they can be pretty as well."

Kakashi snorted. "All right, fair enough. I just wasn't sure what to expect." He nodded at the sky."There's so much color. It's amazing."

And there, somewhere in the blue, blue sky, Kakashi saw a small dark dot, circling gracefully. "And I think I just spotted the first sign of non-mutated, family-friendly life," he said brightly.

Gaara followed his gaze. "I'm fairly sure that's a vulture."

"Non-mutated life, then."

"And where there's life, there's water. Would you say that's the East?"

"Northeast, yeah. Not too close to our cave, probably, which is frankly a relief because otherwise this whole trip would have been for nothing," Kakashi said lightly.

Gaara nodded. "Then that's where we'll go after we've treated the others and the sun has gone down. There's no point in sticking around for too long. I don't like leaving Sunagakure on its own for too long."

Kakashi hummed his agreement. He didn't particularly like leaving his team alone either, never mind his village – who knew what was going on on their side right about now? He trusted his people, yes, but if anything came up he'd rather be there to deal with it himself.

Gaara's pace was higher after that, almost angry in its impatience. Neither of them had enough control over their chakra for an assisted run, but fear for their respective charges fueled their limbs. First things first. They would have to take care of Shikamaru and Ebizou, and find an effective way to transport the two of them across the desert.

Better yet, they would need a way to orient themselves. Otherwise, they could be lost in the desert forever.

* * *

The afternoon seemed to last forever. Kakashi spent most of it staring at the coordinates of the seal that had brought them to the desert. He had scratched the symbols into the cave's rock wall after they'd returned and taken care of their ill teammates, and now he was turning them over in his head.

At his side, Shikamaru let out a deep sigh. "So you're sure it's one of the two middle symbols you cracked? Because if you're wrong, the variables could be endless," he said, sounding weary. His wound was looking good but the pain wouldn't let him sleep, so he was slowly approaching the point of exhaustion.

Kakashi nodded. "I have a good memory. The problem is that even if we can figure out what I inadvertently changed the symbols into, they're still coded. Unless we know how to read the code, we can't figure out the changed coordinates."

"Why... Did you break those coordinates... Again?" Ebizou rasped from his corner. He wasn't looking good.

"I didn't much feel like enjoying Orochimaru's hospitality," Kakashi said.

"Can we be sure he's behind all of this? We only have the refugees' word for it," Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi sighed. Apparently, it was question hour.

He shrugged. "Fairly sure. The seal used elements of _Hiraishin,_ Yondaime's trademark teleportation technique. He guarded that seal jealously. Whoever designed the seal that brought us here must have at least had a look at Hiraishin. Which leaves you with a very short list of names, most of whom are dead," he said wearily. "Orochimaru, however, was one of them. He wasn't a friend of Minato's before his defection by any means, but he was a friend of Jiraiya's, Minato's teacher. It's not unthinkable. Add to that that he's going after children with bloodline limits and, well…"

"It seems somewhat unbelievable this man was allowed to go free after the war," Gaara said from where he was posted at the cave entrance, not uncritical.

"Hmm. Things were strange after the war. He'd shown himself on his best behavior, and perhaps we were just too tired to go after him… We did post sentries, but that obviously wasn't very effective. It's a lousy excuse for a far too lenient policy that has now cost lives," Kakashi frowned as he said it, wondering who was to blame and coming to the inevitable conclusion that if it wasn't Tsunade, it was he himself. His team had been complacent perhaps, or naïve, but Kakashi really should have known better than to let things slide.

Shikamaru watched him quietly. "It maintained the status quo, I suppose."

Kakashi huffed. "Yes. You'd think I would know to distrust those two words by now. The status quo has never brought us any good. Now I know some things can't remain unchanged if we really want to change this world. That's why I changed the Council. That's why I changed hospital policies, and why I want to change our relationship with the civilian community. But obviously I wasn't doing enough."

Shikamaru snorted. " _Some_ Konoha inhabitants would say you're doing too much," he said, smiling softly. "The old crones and bloodied war hounds, for example."

Kakashi dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Shortsighted fools. And also besides the point. I messed up."

"We all did. Orochimaru stopped being solely Konoha's problem when he started taking people from different villages," Gaara interrupted. "I think you misinterpreted my comment. I wasn't just blaming Konoha."

"Mahh, Orochimaru was part of Konoha once. If anyone is to blame –"

"It's him," Shikamaru interrupted. "Konoha has its faults, but it didn't turn him into a psychopath. That's on him."

Kakashi sniffed. "Well, some things no one can be blamed for. Unfortunately for us, Konoha doesn't have a particularly good track record when it comes to dealing with mental instability. Which hardly excuses Orochimaru's actions, but I doubt Konoha helped."

After a thoughtful silence, Ebizou croaked out, "You are very critical of your own village, Hokage."

"If not me, who else?" Kakashi replied shortly.

Ebizou chortled. "Your generation…" He said, letting his gaze travel across the room to meet all three of theirs, "You do like your little revolutions, don't you?"

"I think we should take that as a compliment," Gaara said lightly, turning his face away into the sun to smile.

* * *

Yamato-taichou's little office was possibly the most organized place in the village, Naruto thought. He'd only visited it once or twice before, but he still remembered the large filing cabinets, meticulously clean desk and auspicious lack of unfinished paperwork. It was in many ways the complete opposite of Kakashi-sensei's office.

And Yamato, currently sitting at the desk, looked as pleased as Naruto had ever seen him. His new position suited him in a way that being team captain had not, lending color to his cheeks and the light of inspiration to his dark eyes. As ANBU commander, Yamato had a great deal of responsibility – and as per usual, he thrived in such an environment.

Yamato smiled when he saw Naruto and Sai. "Oh, do come in. What has brought you two here?"

Unfortunately, Naruto was about to destroy the idyllic little atmosphere Yamato had created for himself. "Yamato-taichou! Oh, I'm glad you're here – I need your help, 'cause Kakashi-sensei is in trouble and possibly Orochimaru is up to something and I would have just run out and done something about it except it doesn't really seem like the mature thing to do, so I thought 'well I know one person who is always mature', and –"

Yamato's face fell from satisfaction to something in between exasperation and despair, an expression Naruto was more familiar with. "Please slow down, I have no idea what you're trying to say here," he protested, holding his hands up before him. "Orochimaru? Are you telling me he's up to something?"

Naruto nodded fervently. "And sensei is in trouble."

Yamato wasn't as impressed with that as Naruto felt he should have been. "He always is, some way or another. So long as he's not poisoned again," Yamato said, raising one eyebrow.

"No, no, nothing like that – he's just vanished."

"V- _vanished?!_ " Yamato cried out. "Oh honestly, _senpai_! We can't leave him alone for one day, can we? He's hopeless!"

Sai gave a sad nod. "It's honestly quite sad."

Yamato stood up and started to pace through his room. When Naruto looked carefully, he could see the carpet was slightly faded along Yamato's route. Well, that made sense. Pacing the room seemed like a Yamato thing to do.

"And what is this about Orochimaru?" Yamato asked, eyeing him sharply. "What happened?"

So Naruto began to explain what little he knew. Which… Really wasn't an awful lot.

"That's where you should have started," Yamato told him. "Acquiring more information. You got this from Sasuke, who got it from Sakura, correct? Sakura is in Wind Country, but that doesn't mean we can't find a way to contact her. Obviously she's too far away for anything like Ino's communication techniques, but we can use hawks or summoning animals. We might even establish direct contact with Suna. If Kakashi really has vanished while on a diplomatic mission in their village, it's their problem too."

"Figures Kakashi-sensei would find a way to involve even more people than usual in his problems."

Yamato barely heard him. "I've got men stationed around Orochimaru's base. It's been quiet since the war. Even my sensors couldn't pick up on anything remarkable. Orochimaru must have moved and left decoy shinobi to keep us off his scent. You can't change a leopard's spots," he said, almost feverish.

"Like, his own base only has a few useless people inside, but not him?"

"Quite possibly. He's inventive enough to come up with all kinds of disguises. Which leaves us with the question of where he went."

"So how are we going to find out?"

Yamato paused, his movement slowing down. "There's… There's one man who might know. But I don't…" Yamato frowned, swallowed. "Yakushi Kabuto. He might know."

Naruto's excitement faded as well. Suddenly he could see how the color had drained from Yamato's face, how his mind had derailed at the memory of a former foe. No, a former tormentor.

Even Sai seemed aware of the gravity of the situation, judging by his change in posture.

"He… He does know Orochimaru better than anyone else," Naruto ventured. "I'll go alone. You don't have to."

Yamato gave him an almost distracted look. "No, don't be ridiculous – this is my responsibility. If my ANBU didn't realize Orochimaru moved, then it should be my task to find him again."

Yakushi Kabuto had disappeared after the war. He'd been considered dead until he walked through Konoha's gates six months later and surrendered himself without a fight.

Naruto remembered it very well. He'd been one of the party escorting Kabuto below grounds.

During his interrogation, Kabuto claimed he had learned the error of this ways and had come to atone. His initial idea had been to open an orphanage, but upon realizing many of his young charges have been orphaned because of him he'd…

Well, snapped.

There was something dead in Yakushi Kabuto's eyes.

Frankly, Naruto couldn't really bring himself to care.

After all, if not for Kabuto some 40,000 men and women from across the five great shinobi countries would still be alive today.

Tsunade hadn't hesitated, either. It had been one of her last acts as Hokage to sentence him to life in prison and to help forge the seal that would keep him there. Karin, who remembered him from her days under Orochimaru, had further strengthened his prison with her Uzumaki seals.

Not that Kabuto would have left if he could.

Yamato still looked apprehensive, but he straightened his shoulders and called in one of his ANBU. "Thrush, I'm going to leave the office for a moment. You can find me in T&I if you need me."

Naruto couldn't help but worry about Yamato as they followed him through the Hokage tower down to the T&I department, which doubled as the entryway to the prison. Yamato took long, determined strides, but there was an uncertain light in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He'd even put on the long black coat which marked him as ANBU commander, as though he needed to put another layer between himself and the man who had used him to murder thousands of people.

Naruto shuddered. He couldn't really blame Yamato. He wished Kabuto really had been that slightly awkward teenager Naruto once met, the one who so struggled to pass his exams but still made some time to help three little rookies. He'd pretended to be one thing, but in reality he had been something completely different. That was the one ability Naruto feared most in people, more than any bloodline limit or demonic possession ever could.

At the T&I department, Ino seemed a little surprised to see the three of them. "No one's been to see Yakushi-san for quite some time now," she explained as she led them down long, empty hallways towards the prison. "His official sentence was solitary confinement, but many people in the department took their chance at interrogating him. He would usually spill the beans right away, there wasn't any fight left in him, so it was really quite gratifying. We had to keep some people away, though. The ones who couldn't control their anger towards him."

"No kidding," Naruto mumbled.

Much to his surprise, Sai reached out to squeeze Ino's arm. It was only for a moment before he let go, but still. He actually reached out to touch someone. That had to be a once in a lifetime event. "How about you? Didn't he also revive your teacher?" Sai asked.

Huh. _Character development strikes again_.

Ino flashed him a grateful smile. "I won't pretend to like the guy. He was cruel and inhuman, but now… He's just an empty shell. He knows he's done wrong. That's why I can stand to be in the same room as him."

Yamato ducked his head just for a moment. Naruto probably wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been watching his old team captain so closely. He decided he'd stand next to Yamato when they reached the cell, just for support.

It took them another couple of minutes and one elevator ride to actually reach Kabuto's cell.

"It's the deepest level we've got," Ino explained, "reserved for the most powerful criminals. Although he's actually the only one there at the moment. It's probably for the best."

The jail cells on this level weren't simply barred with chakra barriers, they were locked with massive seal covered doors that could only be opened by the warden. In this case, Uzumaki Karin.

Naruto's distant cousin rolled her eyes when she saw them. "You again? Why do you want to see this guy, anyway?"

"Just open the first door for us, Karin," Ino said, a little exasperated. "Honestly, you Uzumaki's..."

Naruto grinned at Karin. Somehow, she always managed to carry an air of unimpressed stoicism when he saw her, but he knew it was just an act. She rolled her eyes again, but started the work of unfurling the first layer of seals. Once she had the second layer down, they could finally see Kabuto. He lay flat on his back, staring at the light in the ceiling. More seals had been applied to his body to prevent him from taking in nature chakra, but his skin still had that strange scaly look it had had since the war, if scruffier.

Kabuto slowly sat up and blinked at them. "Naruto. Hello," he said, absently. "I would have made some tea if I'd known you were coming."

"You don't have a kettle," Naruto said stupidly. He shook his head. "I didn't come here for tea, or your rambling. I came here for answers."

Kabuto sighed. "They all do."

"We have reason to believe Orochimaru has moved base," Yamato said, and Naruto proudly noted that his voice was strong and authoritative, unshaken.

Kabuto looked up again at the second voice. "I remember you. He has? That's nice." He turned his head to look at the wall again. His voice came slow and even, almost serene.

"Don't play games with us! I bet you know more," Naruto snarled, stepping closer to the seals. To think that this guy, this murderer, could dream of keeping secrets from them…

Ino stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "There's no point in shouting at him. He's disassociated from himself. You'll just make it more difficult for him to remember." She turned to the cell and crouched down. "Yakushi-san, it's me, Ino. Do you remember me?" She asked gently.

Kabuto turned his head. "I do."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm sorry to disturb you, but any information you could give us would be welcome. Do you know where Orochimaru went after the war?" She asked, turning her head to look at Naruto for confirmation. He nodded.

Kabuto blinked slowly. "Orochimaru. Yes. No. I thought perhaps… That he, like me, had changed. But I don't think he has, at all. He's been this way for too long. There's no going back."

"Do you remember a location?" Ino asked, still patient.

"He didn't say. But he spoke of... Children. A child. The future. He was thinking about the future."

"What kind of child?"

"A child of his own," Kabuto said, and with that chilled them all to the bone.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the delay, guys! Truth is, I've been very distracted by both real life and writing my upcoming AU story. I'm hoping I'll be able to get back on track from now on. Maybe send me some fun suggestions or predictions to spice it up a little!**

 **As you can tell, I went canon-divergent here by putting Kabuto into prison. I mean, letting an actual** **mass murderer run an orphanage? Kishi why**


	13. Legacy

**Chapter 13. Legacy.**

* * *

"I think I know where we are," Gaara said, after an indeterminable length of time trudging through the desert.

Before they left Shikamaru had unceremoniously been strapped to Kakashi's back and thus spent most of the grueling walk half-conscious and wishing the pain away. His injured leg pressed uncomfortably against the stiff material of Kakashi's flak vest, the wound throbbing with every beat of his heart.

He craned his head to look at Gaara, planting his chin on Kakashi's shoulder for support. "Where would that be, then?" He asked, and hoped he didn't sound as painfully relieved as he felt.

"We call it the Land of the Elders," Gaara said, and shifted Ebizou higher up onto his back. The old man had been unconscious for several hours already. Or, well, asleep, which sounded at least a little bit less ominous. Shikamaru could do with a little bit less.

"Well, at least it's not 'Land of the Bones', or 'Land of the Soon-to-be-Dead'," Kakashi muttered, his voice a dark rumble in his chest. "This is where people used to live before the shinobi villages were founded, right?"

"It goes back even further than that. Our ancestors lived here thousands of years ago, before the land dried up." Gaara pointed to a strangely shaped dune to their right. "Sand now covers what's left of their settlements. It washes everything away. Our ancestors migrated to the East to find a new place to exist."

"So we'll want to go east as well," Shikamaru guessed. "How the hell did it take us here? I get that you messed with the coordinates, but why this place of all places?"

Kakashi shrugged, sending Shikamaru's chin up with him. "Maybe there's just a range limit to the seal. Or maybe we got lucky. Either way, we should really be focusing on how to get away from here. Gaara, any ideas?"

Gaara paused in his tracks. He stared up at the sky, still so painfully blue. "I do. But there's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Kakashi asked, as he stopped beside Gaara.

"Razor's Edge. An area notorious for its lethal sandstorms," Gaara said simply.

"Ah. There we go, finally a properly ominous place name. Such a shame it happens to be directly in our way."

Shikamaru sighed. What he wouldn't give to have Temari with him... "I don't suppose there's a way around? No, don't answer that – we have to go straight through, don't we?" He drawled.

"It does seem to be one of those days," Kakashi agreed. "How lethal is lethal?"

"Of the 'your skin is stripped off as you choke' variety," Gaara said dryly.

"I had a feeling you might say that," Kakashi said, far too cheerful.

Shikamaru sighed. "Okay, so we should figure out our options. Since it's a natural phenomenon, not a jutsu, it's not like the sandstorms are trying to kill us. Meaning we can prepare and stock up," he said, already thinking about solutions.

"We need a tent," Gaara said, "but we don't have the material. Barring that, a large, dead animal might serve as shelter, but the snake is too far behind us and too big for us to carry, so that's not an option."

"Should have brought that skull after all," Kakashi muttered, more to himself than anything else. "Alright, our biggest issue is going to be breathing and protecting our soft tissues, right?"

Gaara nodded. "That, and dehydration, but we already knew that. On the upside, we should be encountering more water sources from here on out as we go further east. The vulture we saw earlier is a good sign."

"Told you he was family-friendly," Kakashi smiled. "So, we make our clothing as protective as we can. We can cut up our backpacks if we must. Shikamaru and I have flak vests, we can take of the layer of fabric with knives. I've already got a mask so I'm set, but we'll need something similar for you guys."

"I hate to say it, but Ebizou-sama is wearing a lot of fabric. More than he needs," Shikamaru said reluctantly. To his relief, the others nodded.

"But I'm worried about his condition," Kakashi said. "His lungs aren't getting any better without help. He's running a fever. He's already dehydrated. I pinched his skin earlier and it took way too long for it to resettle. It's not looking good." Out of the three of them, he had the most medical expertise, gained through osmosis from Sakura and many other former teammates with medical knowledge. Shikamaru would trust his judgment over his own, anyway.

"I know," a raspy voice said behind them. Ebizou was awake again, propped up on one arm, his breath short and his face drawn and pale. "But we have no choice but to keep going," he said. "I'm an old man. My best days are behind me anyway, Gaara-sama. Out of all of us, I am the most expendable one."

The silence that followed made Shikamaru's chest felt tight and painful. Ebizou was right of course, and they all knew it. Between two Kage and Shikamaru, a twenty-year-old master strategist, the life of one sick old man, no matter how remarkable, blanched in comparison.

Kakashi's head dropped a little. His shoulders felt tense under Shikamaru's arms. "I don't like leaving people behind," he said slowly, and right, that was his thing, wasn't it? Leave no man behind. Surprisingly sentimental, for a former ANBU. Dangerous, in a Hokage. But, Shikamaru thought, also the reason why so many people would follow him to hell and back.

Kakashi was like Naruto, in that sense. He was a man of conviction, even in the face of all adversity.

"You might not have a choice," Ebizou said softly.

Kakashi's jaw clenched. "We'll see about that."

Shikamaru caught Gaara looking at them with a quizzical expression. Obviously, he hadn't heard about the Hatake-Kakashi-School-of-Zero-Abandonment. The corner of Shikamaru's mouth tilted up. _Better get used to it, pal. That's Konoha's way of doing things._

Their trek took them further and further through the desert, exhaustion clawing at their limbs and parching their throats. Shikamaru's head was pounding, and even Kakashi stumbled occasionally. Still, they kept going, their progress entirely dependent on Gaara and Kakashi's dogged determination. It felt a little like despair to not be able to help in some way, but Shikamaru's head still felt light with blood loss and pain. All he could do was think, and hope his weight wouldn't become too much for Kakashi's already taxed body.

"I smell water," Kakashi said, after another endless hour. He stopped moving, readjusting his grip on Shikamaru's legs before nodding to the right. "Couple of miles to the south. Smells like quite a lot."

"You can smell it from here?" Shikamaru croaked, because that had to mean…

"Yup. My chakra is returning."

Shikamaru grinned. Ahead of them, Gaara frowned and raised a hand. Concentration flickered over his face, and then sand came swirling up from the ground and wrapped around his fingers. It only held for a moment before falling back down, but his eyes burned brightly. "Mine, too."

Shikamaru's own chakra curled up, somewhere deep inside him, when he tried to harness it. Unresponsive, but at least he could feel it. "I'm making progress," he said, to answer their unasked question.

Ebizou's forehead had rolled onto Gaara's shoulder and his hands had gone limp at his sides. Gaara heaved him further up onto his back. "He needs water. Soon."

Kakashi nodded. "Let's go, then."

The last few miles to the oasis seemed to last forever in Shikamaru's mind. Somehow, knowing there was water on the end of it made it harder to focus on anything other than his physical discomfort and how badly he wanted to feel better, how he longed for water rushing down his throat, over his head… He almost groaned out loud he finally saw it.

The oasis wasn't huge by any means, but there was actual, real shrubbery, and a palm tree, and something other than the colors blue and sandy yellow for the first time in days. And there, at the center, lovely clear water pooled underneath the tree. Enough to keep them all going for days, if need be.

Kakashi made a sound somewhere in between a sigh and a laugh. He glanced at Shikamaru from the corner of his eye, a hidden smile crinkling the skin. "I'm going to put you down at the water's edge, okay? I need to check there aren't any dead animals in the water, but it smells clean. I think we're good."

He walked on and then there was shadow, blessed shadows falling over them and protecting them from the heat. Finally some relief for Shikamaru's scorched skin. He itched to call up his chakra and wrap the shadows around his body and not let go. Or, throw himself headfirst into water. Either option worked.

"I'm going to put you down now," Kakashi said, and held onto Shikamaru's arm to balance him. Pain lanced through his leg the moment he put weight on it. Shikamaru hissed and would have fallen over if not for Kakashi, who caught him under his arm.

"Easy there," the older man said. "I'll lower you down. You need water."

When Shikamaru was seated on the bank, Kakashi took one of the bottles they had almost finished and handed it to him. "Drink all of it, then I'll fill it for you. Gaara, how clean is this water?"

"Clean enough," Gaara said, from where he was bracing Ebizou next to the water's edge. "The minerals in the sand keep it clean. We can boil it for later to be sure, but I think it's fine." He demonstrated it by cupping his hands together and filling them with water before bringing them to Ebizou's mouth to drink.

Shikamaru finished the bottle. Kakashi took it and filled it before handing it back, a smile in his eyes. "Taste good?" He asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be fine."

Kakashi nodded. Another man might have stripped off his clothes and gone for a swim, but all Kakashi did was wade in a few feet until his back was towards them, pull down his mask and dunk his head in. Shikamaru snorted and watched as Kakashi washed his face and hair and threw water into his neck to cool down. He stood there for a moment, back still towards them, and suddenly Shikamaru could picture him as a younger man, traveling the world all by himself on his way to his next target.

Shikamaru grimaced at his own leg. Best not to get the bandages wet. He smiled weakly, pulled off his shirt, and emptied the bottle's contents over his head. He would take what he could get.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Shikamaru, Kakashi probably would have stripped of all of his clothing and gone for a swim if it wasn't for the whole propriety thing. Okay, no, the others probably wouldn't mind even if he decided to streak if it meant he wouldn't overheat. Maybe it was more of a personal thing. Maybe. Okay, definitely. It was one thing to walk around mask-less as Sukea, when he could pretend to be someone else, but to refuel himself, well, as himself? The thought alone made him feel uncomfortable as hell. He would preserve that dubious privilege to close and trusted friends and, err, more _intimate_ acquaintances and leave it at that. Admittedly both of those categories were in somewhat short supply, but hey – he was trying.

Drinking as much as he liked was heavenly after rationing water for so long. He did eventually give in enough to wash himself a little. Getting some of the sand out of places where they really shouldn't be felt great, even though it was obviously a temporary measure. By the time he waded out of the pool, his stomach felt a little bloated from all the water he had drunk. He grimaced. They would need fresh food soon. The beef jerky was doing nothing for his digestive system.

He sat down next to Gaara at the edge of the pool, took off his boots and put his tired feet in the water.

"Nice," Gaara said dryly. He had his water bottle in his hand as if he'd been about to fill it before Kakashi put his feet in it.

Kakashi wiggled his toes. "No foot fungus, I promise," he said lightly. He looked past Gaara at Ebizou, only in the shadow of the trees drinking from his own water bottle. "Any improvement?"

Gaara shook his head. "He needs medicine and proper rest. As good as this is, it won't be enough."

Kakashi nodded slowly, unsurprised. "Nearest sign of civilization?"

"The prison camp," Gaara said wryly. "We should probably head there anyway, but it won't save Ebizou-sama."

"Right. Does he know?"

"I'd be more surprised if he didn't."

Kakashi looked down at his feet. The water rippled gently around them, distorting the scarring across the arch of his left foot. He'd gotten it caught in a snare as a boy. One of the first injuries he'd ever had. Most shinobi never got to live as long as Ebizou. That's why he hadn't objected earlier, but suggested they leave him behind. Kakashi would probably do the same thing, in his place. That didn't mean he had to like it, though. "We have to try."

He could feel Gaara's eyes on him. "I'm not objecting, but I will leave him if it means alerting the villages sooner," Gaara said slowly. "He will understand."

Something old and angry inside Kakashi stood up and took notice. "It always comes down to the same choice, doesn't it?" He said.

"What choice?"

"Never mind. I'm going to see how he's doing." Kakashi winced as he got up, his muscles protesting. Earlier, when he had washed himself, he'd been able to take inventory of his injuries. His jaw wasn't broken, but the bruising was pretty spectacular and probably would be for a while. The bite wound from the snake mutant thing looked clean enough, and if he'd been poisoned would have noticed by now. All in all, he was probably strong enough to make the trip so long as they could get some food soon. Speaking of which…

He took a ration bar from his bag and broke it in half on his way to Ebizou. He slumped down next to the old man and offered him one of the halves. "You should at least try to eat something," he said, and hoped it didn't sound as awkward as he felt. There last proper conversation had been… Uncomfortable, to say the least.

Ebizou chuckled. "You are kind to me. Kinder than I deserve, perhaps." He took the bar anyway, but only nibbled on it. "I've been meaning to apologize to you."

"Mahh. You wouldn't be the first to dislike me on account of who my father was. Maybe it would be easier if I didn't look so much like him."

"Ahh. Probably. Even so. I don't want to confuse my anger at him with anger at you. Sometimes, it can be hard to let go of the past." Ebizou looked at the bar's wrapper. The words _KONOHA CALORY KILLER_ shone back at him in bright green lettering. "The world has rather turned upside down since my youth," he added dryly.

Kakashi snorted. "At least you didn't try to murder me on sight."

Ebizou chuckled. "My sister always had a temper."

Kakashi returned his smile. "She was a good woman, though. Perhaps in a different life, my father and her..."

"Yes. Perhaps. War ruined us all." Ebizou began to cough again.

Kakashi waited until the other man had regained his breath. "Yamada said my father was a prisoner of yours. I saw the cell. I – when – I've never heard of him being captured."

Ebizou snorted. "How typical of a man like Yamada to brag about such a thing. Your father wasn't there for long. In fact, most of us were sure he'd allowed himself to be captured. He was strong, you know. Even our Kazekage would have struggled against him. Anyone who believed we'd captured him fair and square was naïve."

Kakashi blinked. He hadn't wanted to say it, but this seemed more true to what he remembered than anything else he had heard so far. But why would he have allowed himself to be captured?

"I'm told it was because of a woman," Ebizou said quietly, and oh, either Kakashi was getting transparent or he'd spoken out loud.

"A woman?"

"There were rumors. All of this happened a long time ago, though. You are... What, early thirties? It must've been at least thirty years ago that he was here. We closed the prison shortly after." Ebizou held a hand up as he fell into another coughing fit. He was white as ash. He'd sleep again, soon.

Thirty years ago. Thirty – a woman? Kakashi's breathing felt tight. "Thirty years exactly?" He asked.

Ebizou frowned. "Yes – I'm fairly sure."

Kakashi nodded to himself. Thirty years. Well. That added up.

His mother had died, thirty years ago.

* * *

The people of Suna were blissfully unaware that their beloved leader had vanished in a puff of smoke a mere two days ago, but that didn't stop them from gawking openly when Temari led in a ragtag group of ill refugees and Konoha shinobi. Kankuro's reinforcements had brought stretchers, so they'd been able to set a pretty good speed back to the village. Which, Sakura was pleased to note, hadn't been razed to the ground by Orochimaru and his pals.

She exchanged a look with Sasuke. He was almost unrecognizable underneath the white hood and scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face. Fashion had never been one of his strong suits, but in this particular case Sakura had to acknowledge the wisdom of not walking the streets as Uchiha Sasuke, former Akatsuki and general villain. Despite Team 7's best attempts, there were some reputations that you couldn't change overnight.

Underneath the hood, Sasuke's eyes glowed purple and red. He was scanning village, she realized – checking it for threats, or memorizing the street plan perhaps. She tried not to think about what he might be saving such information for for too long. In a way, perhaps it made him a truer shinobi than her. It also made him hopelessly outdated in a world where trust finally meant something.

Temari was a better example of the modern shinobi; she led them unerringly towards the T&I department, no questions asked. Those refugees who needed medical attention were sent to the hospital wing, the others came with them. Sakura didn't like it much. The refugees had been through so much, and now they would be subjected to interrogation as well. The soft, civilian friendly category of interrogation, but still.

She caught the eye of the boy with the enhanced hearing. What would become of him? Would he just be recruited by the village? Forced into a life he might not want? He had been stripped of his agency before. Now, Sakura realized, he might never get it back.

Which probably wasn't a very charitable way to think of Temari and her siblings, but Sakura wasn't in the mood for charity. Her mentor was missing, her best friends were far away and Tsunade wasn't here to advise her.

"Prisoners first," Temari said coldly. That, Sakura could live with.

The twins with the chakra chains were the leaders of the Sound shinobi, and proud of it too. Fool. It took Sasuke exactly twenty seconds to get them under the influence of the Sharingan, after which they sang like a bird.

"How many people were on the seal?" One of the sisters rasped. "When your Kages up and vanished."

"Four. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Four and two make six," the prisoner glanced at her sister. She grinned suddenly. "Splash."

The other kunoichi grinned back. "Splash," she repeated. "All over the pretty floors."

Sakura grabbed the first sister by the front of her tunic. "Stop speaking in riddles and explain already," she hissed, glaring into the other woman's crazed eyes.

"Two of ours were in the circle, waiting. Two plus four make six. The seal can only take five," the sister said, drawing out for words as if she was speaking to a child. "Splash."

Two Sound shinobi had waited in the circle to ambush Kakashi and the others, Sakura translated, although she wasn't sure how on earth anyone could have done as much. She hadn't sensed anything, nor had the others. She decided to ignore the logic and go with it for the sake of argument. _The seal only takes five..._

"The seal… Should have taken them somewhere," she said slowly, turning the thought around in her head.

"Home," the second sister grinned. "A treat for our master. Even better if they're sliced up."

The seal had been meant to teleport them to the Sound Village… Then that meant Kakashi-sensei and the others could be with _Orochimaru_ at this exact moment? The thought sent shivers down her spine. But wait… The seal had been broken; her knowledge of seals wasn't as extensive as she would have liked, but she knew enough to know a broken seal would not function as intended. She frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Owl cut her off with a nearly imperceptible shake of her head.

"You sent two _Kage_ into the center of your village," Owl said. "Orochimaru may be strong, but it seems to me you've left him with a bit of a problem, not a treat."

Didn't she realize the seal hadn't worked properly? Why was she… Oh! To tell the two Sound sisters their plan had failed was probably not the best of ideas. Owl was keeping the truth from them on purpose.

The first sister shrugged. "Spur of the moment plan. But their power won't be a problem. Seal leaves people weak. Powerless," she said in her strange, halting speech.

"Spur of the moment? So this abduction wasn't your original plan?" Owl was saying, but Sakura's mind got stuck on _weak_. The refugees from before, the first nomads… They had felt weak as well.

The first sister grinned. "You guys surprised us. We improvised."

Sakura shook her. "What do you mean, weak? And where is Orochimaru's current base?"

"The seal," the first sister rasped, "was designed by Orochimaru-sama himself. He used old Uzumaki manuscripts he found after the war, when people weren't paying attention to his comings and goings. He wanted to use it to go around unnoticed, but there were side effects."

"The strange numbness. The seal affects chakra, doesn't it?" Sakura asked.

"Blocks it off for forty-eight hours, if you are teleported. A little bit less, if you were standing right next to it," the second sister says **.** Her blue eyes were glazed over and empty under the Sharingan's hold.

"Quite the weakness," Sasuke said.

" Yeah, sure, but it can take you anywhere, unnoticed. Think of the potential," the first sister grins. "Think of what we might have done, if Orochimaru-sama wasn't so fixated –"

The second sister hisses and kicks her twin. "Don't speak ill of him! He has a plan, he does, he must have."

"He is fixated," her sister argued. "The war has changed him." There was a note of derision in her voice, disappointment, almost. Isn't that a change from the blind obedience most of Orochimaru's men ascribe to?

"What does he want? Why did he go after the refugees?" Temari asked.

"He wanted –"the first sister flinched, her jaw clenching like she wanted to bite her tongue, it Sasuke's hold on her was stronger. "He wants a legacy. That is all I know."

"Fresh bodies," Sasuke said. "It's how he's survived for so long. When his body grows old or weak, he replaces it with a new one. Preferably one with a bloodline limit."

Sakura's gorge rose. That would've happened to Sasuke, if he had let it. If he hadn't been so blindly, obstinately, beautifully, stubborn. Legacy. The word seemed so ugly in this context. But wait, a legacy didn't mean wanting to exist forever, it meant leaving something behind –

She never got to finish her thought. The door of the prison block slammed open and a harried looking Baki came marching in. "Temari, I'm sorry – we couldn't stop him –"

They didn't have to wonder who this _him_ was for very long. Sasuke perked up, and then Sakura felt it herself; that golden heat, burning like the sun itself, hazy enough that it was probably a clone of the original, but still –

"Naruto," she breathed, as one of her best friends in the world came barging in, Sai on his heels, looking breathless and excited both.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto's clone said, "we've figured it out. Orochimaru wants a kid, and possibly he wants to destroy the village, but really we should be talking about how he's not allowed to have kids, ever, and Kakashi – sensei is still in trouble, so I came to help."

A brief silence followed his whirlwind of a statement. Then, Sasuke said, "Idiot. What took you so long?"

* * *

 **AN:**

 **So uhh... Sorry about the long wait. I really want to finish the story for you guys, but the muse is at least 80% dead. Yeah. Uhh. Awkward. Thing is, I'm not really sure when and if inspiration will return. My interest in Naruto has been waning for a couple of weeks now and the low response to Regeneration kinda finished it off. No one is really to blame, it's just a combination of different factors.**

 **The good news is that I know exactly how I want this story to end, and that I don't want to leave you guys hanging. I've put a lot of time and thought into this little universe, and I've grown so fond of these versions of the characters. In short, I'm determined to finish it one way or another.**

 **Unfortunately, that might mean scrapping a story line or two so I can abbreviate the story a little. I'd planned this whole thing with Yuugao, Anko and Baki, but, well… Frankly, I think it's better if I focus on the main storyline instead to keep my momentum going.**

 **So, yeah. I'll do my best. Comments are love!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so sick of the desert, you guys. Can we just donate the desert to charity? Please.**

 **Please take a moment to read the author's note this time, I've made an important decision regarding the future of this story.**

 **Warning: minor character death ahead.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14. Don't Fear the Reaper.**

* * *

'Razor's Edge', Kakashi thought, was a terrible name.

It was, however, also painfully accurate.

Their little group had made it a few hours into the pass when the first sandstorm finally hit. Their best option had been to dig themselves a hole into the sand and pray that the thin protective layer Gaara could now muster would be enough to protect them from the rest.

It wouldn't matter for Ebizou, either way.

The old man was dying.

He lay pressed in between Kakashi and Shikamaru, deathly pale and wheezing with every breath. His fever had risen steadily over the past few hours.

It was just a matter of time, now.

Gaara had accepted Kakashi's quiet statement with a stoic nod. Respectful, but not surprised.

Shikamaru had looked wrung out and exhausted.

Ebizou hadn't been surprised either.

Kakashi pressed his shoulder back against the old man's. It was a tight fit, but none of them could really bring themselves to mind the proximity. It was one thing to die out here, in the middle of nowhere – it was another altogether to do so alone, without support.

Funny, the places life took you. Once upon a time, Ebizou would have killed him just for existing. Now, Kakashi could offer him some comfort as he died – just as he had for Ebizou's sister, years ago.

He wondered, not for the first time, what his parents would have thought of what the world had turned into. Was it a better world? Or just a different one?

He still had questions for Ebizou. About the woman he had mentioned. Could it really have been Kakashi's mother? His stomach churned. He knew very little about his mother, aside from the little Sakumo had told him. And even those stories had faded in his memory. His father had died _so very long ago_. The older Kakashi got, the less he remembered of those seven years they spent together.

The storm was too loud for them to speak.

Well. So be it.

* * *

By the time the storm finally passed, Gaara was wilted with exhaustion from holding up the thin wind shield. Even so, they had to keep going to avoid getting caught up in another storm. Kakashi took Ebizou this time, the heavier of their two burdens.

At some point during the track, Ebizou started to hallucinate. He moaned quietly, called out unfamiliar names in a weak voice, and confused Kakashi for an old friend.

At least he didn't confuse him for Sakumo again.

They cleared the pass just before twilight. Once again familiar with the terrain, Gaara led them to a small cave stocked with supplies.

"This is sometimes used as a resting place for patrolling shinobi," Gaara explained. He kept his voice low. There was something oddly reverential about his tone. "We can't stay here for a little while."

Ebizou's eyes had cleared up a little, but he wouldn't last much longer. No one had to ask under what conditions they would leave the cave again.

Kakashi sat down against the wall next to Shikamaru and Ebizou, stretching out his tired legs before him. He raised his eyebrows at Shikamaru. _You okay?_

Shikamaru nodded. "Leg's feeling better," he said softly.

Ebizou coughed again, drawing their attention, and then hooked weakened old hands around Kakashi's upper arm _._ "Did you manage it, then? To open the scroll?" He rasped. Already his cheeks seemed sunken in, his eyes glassy. "Ever since I got it… I couldn't help but wonder…"

Gaara turned his face away to give them some semblance of privacy, expression unreadable.

"I haven't yet. I'm sorry," Kakashi said gently.

Ebizou's eyelids fluttered. He let out a sigh. "I see. No, I am sorry. My sister was obsessed with him, you know. I thought I was better at letting go, but perhaps I wasn't." His inflection shifted on every word, his voice losing strength.

Kakashi was silent for a moment, thinking it over. Grudge or not, why would anyone hold onto something that had belonged to their worst enemy for so long? He spoke on a hunch. "You knew, didn't you? That my father had a son."

Ebizou's chin sank to his chest. "He let it slip one day, when I was treating his wounds. I don't think he even realized… And his wife, your mother, she had such strength. I knew even before your father came to us that there was something keeping her strong. Knowing your father had a family, people he loved… That was the first time I thought of him as a human being."

Kakashi had to swallow past the lump in his throat. So his mother had been there, somehow. Ebizou seemed barely aware of where he was what he had or hadn't said, but he was clearly still sitting on a treasure trove of information.

"She was there, then? My mother?" He asked.

"...Yes. I suppose it must have been captured her a month before him. I think she was the reason why he came to us at all. White Fang, in love. Can you imagine?" Ebizou smiled.

"You held her in that prison. My father let you capture him so he could... Free her?"

"I imagine that was his plan, yes."

"But it didn't work," Kakashi said. He heard Shikamaru's small intake of breath.

"No. I'm sorry. We had already executed her."

Kakashi stilled. For a moment, he forgot to breathe. Execution. He had wondered, for so long. His father had never told him and he had never gathered the courage to look at her file. Execution.

His mother, with her gentle smile and the eyes he had inherited, had died alone, a long way from home.

And his father had been just a little bit too late to save her.

Yet another family trait.

He breathed again.

"Sensei," Shikamaru said. He sounded young. Uncertain. His hand was on Kakashi's shoulder, white-knuckled and ready to pull him away. Kakashi barely felt it,

Across from them, Gaara watched Kakashi with dark eyes.

Perhaps Kakashi should have gotten angry. Perhaps he should have raged against these people for taking away his mother. Perhaps he should have reached out and finished what the pneumonia had started.

Perhaps.

But what was the point?

"I always knew it was Suna. I just didn't know how," he finally said, more for their comfort than his own. Shikamaru's grip loosened.

Was it quick, he wanted to ask. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Better to imagine that it had been.

Better to imagine that his father hadn't seen it happen. That he had only found out after it had already been done. That he had wallowed in that prison out of grief, until he remembered he had a son waiting for him at home.

That perhaps, Kakashi's existence _had_ been enough reason for Sakumo to withstand so much pain. That Kakashi had had a family, a family that loved him, once. Something deep within him relaxed for the first time in decades.

He gave Ebizou's hand a light squeeze. His mother's murderer, now. How odd. "You asked me earlier how my father died. Who killed him. The answer is… No one, and everyone," Kakashi said slowly. "He didn't live an easy life, and Konoha blamed him for starting the war. The war that killed your nephew. They treated him so badly that, well… He ended up taking his own life."

Ebizou went very still. His features were frozen. "Oh, oh." Tears came to his eyes. "I had thought… Hearing it would make me feel better. But it does not. Not at all. That is not what I imagined at all."

Kakashi bent his head, uncomfortably aware not only of the lump in his throat but also of Shikamaru's eyes on his back, and Gaara, still unreadable. If he had had the choice, he would've gotten up and walked away then and there just to avoid whatever kind of sympathy or disdain they would show. But Ebizou was dying, and there was no walking away from a dying man.

Ebizou blinked away his tears. "Thank you for telling me. I am glad… I was able to speak with his son on peaceful terms, at least. And… I'm glad to leave the world in hands like yours and Gaara-sama's."

Ebizou turned his head towards Gaara, who gave up the polite fiction of not overhearing their conversation. "You are truly… remarkable. I don't quite understand this new world, but I I think you do. Thank you."

Gaara finally moved, no longer a statue, and bent his head over Ebizou's thin, wrinkled hand in a sign of respect. "Thank you for your dedication. We will not forget you, or your family. You may be sure of it."

Ebizou nodded, once again moved to tears. Then he looked back up at the sky, blinked a few more times, and released his final breath. His hand went limp in Kakashi's grip.

And that was that.

xXx

They buried Ebizou before the cave, so that a patrol could return later to take him home. They didn't talk. Too much history, perhaps.

 _(His mom_ –)

Shikamaru didn't look at Kakashi, just stared across the makeshift grave and into the distance, and said, "Not an awful lot went right for you when you were a kid, huh?" He kept his voice quiet so as to give Gaara at least a choice of whether or not he still pretend not to overhear. He didn't sound pitying, just… Pained. And older than he had any right to be.

(She'd been _executed_.)

Kakashi sighed. "You're not wrong there," he admitted. It wasn't so hard to say. They'd already finished the hardest part.

Shikamaru nodded slowly. "Took me a while to figure it out, though. You don't wear your heart on your sleeve as much as some of the others. I figured you were just…" He shrugged.

"Weird?" Kakashi smiled.

Shikamaru smiled back. "No offense."

"None taken. I can be weird and tortured in equal measure, right?"

"If anyone can, it's you."

They grinned.

"You said 'the others'. I take it you like reading people?" Kakashi asked after a moment. "Figure out what makes them tick?"

"Can't help myself. I know making assumptions is risky, but some people just radiate pain. Like Sasuke," Shikamaru said. "And sometimes, I pick up on more subtle hints, too."

Kakashi leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Great minds think alike, or something along those lines. He had similar habits. "What gave it away? For me, I mean?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Not anything you did. It was more the way the others watched you. Asuma and Kurenai, sometimes even Gai-sensei. Like they were waiting for you to crack," he said. "But you don't, do you?"

 _(She'd been alone_.)

Not often. Certainly not in public. Not since Rin, anyway, when Kakashi hadn't been able to stop crying even when he tried. He smiled faintly at Shikamaru's description of his friends, and their well-intended but often unwanted worry. God, he was a terrible friend.

"People expect me to stay strong, so that's what I do," Kakashi said instead. "I imagine you do the same thing." He turned to meet Shikamaru's eyes at last, and found recognition and something close to humor in the younger man's eyes.

"Well, to borrow a phrase of yours, you're not wrong," Shikamaru said.

Kakashi smiled.

 _(Exe-)_

Gaara joined them, hands folded behind his back. "Kakashi-dono. I would offer a formal apology, but –"

There would be no point. Harsh perhaps, but true. Gaara's predecessor had ordered the execution of Kakashi's mom, yes – but they had been at war. How many Suna shinobi had she taken down before she was captured?

Kakashi's mom had never been an innocent.

 _(Executed_ –)

- _dono_ , though. Uncharacteristically formal. Perhaps that said more about Gaara's feelings on the matter than the rest of his words.

Kakashi sighed. For a while, when he was younger, it seemed like lives were inconsequential. Like it didn't matter how many he took, or how, because no one had cared how _his_ people had died either. It took him a long time to remember the value of life, to remember murder is not normal, should never be normal. Sometimes he thought his perspective was still skewed. But if they ever wanted to change the world, it had to start somewhere. No vengeance, no apologies for the actions of our predecessors.

"There is nothing to explain. I'm… Glad to know the truth, at least," he said. He reached for his pocket and pulled out his father's scroll. He turned it around in his hand. "Gave me an idea for how to open this thing, too. But that will have to wait."

He pushed himself up onto his feet. "We should go. We've lost a lot of time."

Gaara stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. "… Yes. But – should you want to see the documents detailing your parents' interment – you need only ask."

Kakashi's jaw clenched. It made the fracture ache. "Thank you," he said softly. And now – push it back down. Forget everything that's just happened. Let it simmer somewhere underneath the surface until there he had the time and space to let it out. Bury his mother all over again, to save himself from having to feel the pain. Push it down. "Shikamaru, are you ready?"

Shikamaru blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Yeah – I'm fine. The wound is clean and starting to close. Just don't jostle me around too much."

"Sure thing, Captain." Kakashi threw him a mock salute.

( _His mom_ – push it down.)

Shikamaru frowned and opened his mouth as if to say something. He closed it again. Good man. Kakashi knelt down and helped the young man onto his back. He didn't want to talk. He wanted – he wanted to fight, to –

 _(His mom executed_ – push it down.

Don't feel anything.

Not until he was alone.)

* * *

 **AN.**

 **Me and my cheesy chapter titles. Also, what is it with me killing off old council members? Honestly.**

 **Now, you may have noticed this chapter is uncommonly short. Basically, I've hit a dead-end. I'll be honest, I'm not as convinced as I used to be that I will be able to finish the story. I think I got tangled up in the complexity of the plot and lost sight of what actually motivates me: the characters. I'm not sure if I can 'fix' it enough to regain motivation for the story. In hindsight, I would have done things differently, and by now I can't really think of a way to take the story where I want it to go within a reasonable timeframe. This chapter is basically all I managed to write for it over the past couple of months.**

 **(Please note that was not an invitation for you to tell me what you dislike about the story – which, I might add, is not the same as giving constructive criticism. Yes, this has happened before!)**

 **I'm kind of considering canceling the story and telling you guys what I had planned, to be honest, including the final chapter, which I had actually written out. I want to give you guys a satisfying conclusion but by now it's become a burden more than a joy. I might write a much shorter remix along the lines of Other Ghosts, but I haven't decided yet.**

 **Either way, thank you all for your kindness and patience. I'm a little disappointed the story didn't work out, but at the same time I'm glad I tried!**


	15. Chapter 15

So, hi. It's your local author, apologizing from the bottom of her heart for not finishing the story properly (despite numerous promises to do so). I still love Kakashi, I still love the potential of Naruto, and I definitely love all of you who supported me while I was writing this behemoth of a series. That said, as time passed it became increasingly difficult to stay motivated when it came to FG. The storyline was becoming so convoluted that whenever I thought about FG I could only seem to remember where I had gone wrong. Simply put, it stopped being fun. What's the point of writing fanfiction if it stops being fun?

So by popular demand, have this strange little chapter in which I give away the remaining plot points and tell you what I would have liked to do if things had gone differently. Enjoy!

 **The Original version (a.k.a. This Is What You Get When You Don't Plan Properly):**

 **Subplots:**

Firstly, Sakura and Yuugao would have discovered Baki was responsible for killing Yuugao's boyfriend four years ago, reinforcing the theme of the two villages being old enemies and what exactly that means for the people living in them. Ideally, it would have ended with Yuugao coming to terms with what happened. Baki would have gotten away with it, unfortunately, because if they were to start punishing people for their past crimes there would be no one left to actually run the village. They are all guilty, after all.

Secondly, Sakura would have had a mini arc of her own that revolved around developing her genjutsu skills.

Thirdly, Anko and Orochimaru. Something something something. Emotions. Not a clue. Really should have planned this out.

 **Main plot:**

After escaping the desert in chapter 14, Kakashi would have found some kind of way to reverse engineer the seal leading to a Orochimaru's laboratory. Now, this is where it gets spotty: I never really figured out how they would have circumvented the whole no chakra thing. I originally inserted the whole no chakra thing because I wanted them to depend on primal survival skills and the strength of their bodies. I wanted them to be brought back all the way to their most basic form. I wanted them to rely on each other for survival.

Unfortunately, that storyline was difficult, if not impossible, to mesh with everything else I wanted to do. So, whenever I thought about writing this part of the story, I gave a mental hand wave and told myself I would figure it out when I got to it. That worked with Uneasy, so I didn't see why it couldn't also work for FG. Unfortunately, I never did figure it out. Thanks, past-me.

So if you'll indulge me by hand waving that little whopper of a plothole, imagine for a moment a world in which they figured a way through the seal. Possibly, Kakashi would have gone through by himself and stayed hidden for a while, frustrating his allies ULH-style. At one point he was even going to disguise himself, but I dropped that idea pretty quickly. Eventually, Orochimaru would have discovered him and they would have started a fight. This is where you're in luck, because I wrote part of this fight:

* * *

And there, in the middle of the room, a tiny ICU unit containing a baby. The infant seemed to be asleep, although Kakashi couldn't be sure from this distance. He approached it slowly, carefully, and as he did so became aware of the presence behind him.

"This is him, then? Your... Child?" He said.

Behind him, Orochimaru chuckled. "You know, this reminds me of something that happened a long time ago. Hiruzen-sensei's expression was much the same as the one you're wearing right now, when he first discovered my lair."

Kakashi turned around slowly, willing his heart rate to slow down. "That's not an answer to my question. you stole this child from his parents."

Orochimaru smiled faintly, amused. "I suppose I did. And then I made him mine."

"How? You injected him with some of your DNA? Because that's not enough to make you his parent," Kakashi said, slowly willing his chakra into a pattern for his first _jutsu_. His killing intent came up with it almost unintentionally, rising and falling with his anger.

Orochimaru tilted his head curiously as he felt it. "That's a lot of posturing for someone who no longer has a Sharingan," He smirked. "Did you lose it on your way here?"

Kakashi forced himself to smile. "Something like that." He resisted the urge to look back at the infant. Orochimaru wouldn't fight – or at least, wouldn't go all out – with the child still nearby, if the child was as important as Kakashi suspected. But that required Kakashi to use an infant as a meat shield. That was one low he had not fallen to.

The fact that Orochimaru had even made him consider it made Kakashi's blood boil.

It wasn't like their encounter seven years ago, in the darkness between the pillars holding up the Forbidden Forest. Kakashi didn't have the Sharingan, or even the comforting weight of Chidori in his palm, but this time he had _anger_ at his side.

He had lost his fear when he faced down Obito, best friend and worst enemy all in one.

"So, how much of his DNA is yours? 10%?" He asked instead. "How worried should he be he'll look like you in twenty years time?"

At least it wiped the smile off of Orochimaru's face.

"But that still makes him 90% his parents', right? His parents, who died for him," Kakashi continued. "Which makes me think you have no claim to him whatsoever."

"And what do you intend to do about that?" Orochimaru asked, slowly but carefully.

"Something we should have done a long time ago," Kakashi said and, unleashing his chakra into the ground, sent the cradle up through the roof in a protective layer of _Doton_ , to where his team would find the baby.

Orochimaru snarled and pounced.

Kakashi kept hold of his second strongest affinity, earth, and cloaked his body in chakra. He'd only used this technique during practice, and a few months ago to protect himself when the tower collapsed, but this would be the first time he'd use it in a real fight.

 _Time to prove your worth, Kakuzu!_

With a forceful push of his chakra, the very nature of his skin began to change. It darkened into a charcoal gray and grew as hard as diamond, starting at the center of his chest and spreading across his entire upper body, down to his waist. Any more would be wasteful.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and clenched his fingers around his blade. He _moved._ For a moment the world was no more than a blur of motion, a world where he was forced to rely on senses other than sight. Not as surefire as the Sharingan perhaps, but…

The faint smell of lavender and oil was woven into the world like a thread of purple, accompanied by the sannin's foul chakra. Kakashi used it as a lifeline and homed in on it.

They met in a clash of steel and stone. Orochimaru's blade slid off White Fang, as Kakashi had predicted, and buried itself into his upper arm – or would have, without the stone skin technique. Kakashi shifted his balance and threw an uppercut at Orochimaru's face. The snake dodged it by bending his spine backwards, but he wasn't the only one who'd anticipated his opponent's move.

Kakashi flipped his body over Orochimaru's and, now behind him, thrust the sword at Orochimaru's unprotected shoulder. Orochimaru twisted unnaturally and just barely caught his wrist, but not before the blade left a red line across his shoulder.

For a moment, they were left in a stalemate.

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly. "Kakuzu's technique. Forever unoriginal, _copy ninja_."

"But do you know this part?" Kakashi replied, and with a burst of his chakra, made spikes of stone burst through his wrist. They ripped through Orochimaru's hand and forced him to let go. Orochimaru leapt away to create distance, clutching at his injured hand. The spikes on Kakashi's wrist retreated, but he allowed his fingers to grow harder and sharper, like claws.

Orochimaru bared his own sharp fangs in a grin. "You are your father's son, after all."

There was a flicker of movement to Kakashi's right, and then Orochimaru disappeared. _An after-image!_ Orochimaru had moved so quickly that he hadn't been able to see it. Kakashi somehow blocked the blow aimed at his rib cage , but missed the kick to his thigh. Something gave way, and if it wasn't for the chakra flowing from his body to keep the armor up, his femur would have snapped like a twig. The blow threw him to the ground, but experience allowed him to ignore the pain and roll with the blow. He crossed his forearms just in time to catch Orochimaru's sword as it came bearing down on him, but missed the kick that connected just below the sternum.

The stone skin saved him from losing his breath and breaking his ribs, but the force of the kick threw him back several feet. He had to fight to keep his composure and not panic at being driven into a corner. If he lost his head now…

Orochimaru started to form hand seals, but his movement was slower than before. Perhaps Kakashi's earlier attack had damaged or severed a tendon. Kakashi got his feet back under him. He had to be faster, or he wouldn't be able to keep up…

First though, a distraction. His hands blurred together in hand seals, fast enough that Orochimaru wouldn't be able to read them. He closed his own eyes, but could still see the bright flare of light through his eyelids, sharp and blinding. While Orochimaru ducked his head to protect his eyes, Kakashi used a simple body flicker to move further into the shadows.

Having an affinity for creating electricity, and therefore light, was a definite advantage while fighting in the dark. He could control one of Orochimaru's senses, if he played his cards right. The real problem was that he wasn't sure which sense Orochimaru relied on most. Well, he would likely find out soon.

Because he'd had his own eyes closed during the flash of light, his eyes were still accustomed to the dark. He could see Orochimaru's outline perfectly well. He moved further still into the darkness and tried to gauge his own chakra levels. Although the difference wasn't anywhere near as big as it had once been Orochimaru likely still had more than he did, so he would have to keep an eye on his levels.

Itachi had been able to beat Orochimaru with his Tsukuyomi. A shame Kakashi wouldn't be able to convince Orochimaru he still had Mangekyou…

Still, there was always brute force.

As Kakashi circled the room, Orochimaru created a clone to stand at his own back. It wouldn't be long before he'd have his night vision back…

Kakashi clenched his teeth, and began to focus on his chakra pathways. How would Gai do it, if he were here..? Slowly but surely, his chakra coils began to open up, giving away like the gears of a lock while it's being picked open.

At the center of the room, Orochimaru's chakra steadily grew more oppressive. "Won't you come out and play, _Hokage_?"

First, Kakashi created another flash of light to blind Orochimaru again. Then Kakashi opened his first three chakra gates and burst into motion. Orochimaru's clone died with a fist through its chest moments later, and Orochimaru was forced to retreat. Kakashi followed.

The entire world seemed sharper and clearer with the gates opened, his senses more keen, his chakra more powerful. He could feel his own killing intent building up and up and up without actively willing it to, until it was almost an entity in its own right, built up from years of suffering and fighting. Orochimaru suddenly seemed slow and inflexible, unable to twist away in time as Kakashi landed several more blows on him. Something, perhaps his rib cage, seemed to give away underneath Kakashi's fist, and the Snake Sannin doubled over from the pain.

Orochimaru was a slippery bastard, though, and a legend to boot. With a twist of his fingers, the air itself seemed to disappear from around Kakashi, leaving him gasping. The next airwave blasted his body into the wall. With so much chakra and adrenaline running through his system, Kakashi barely felt it. There was going to be damage, but whatever it was would have to wait. Instead, he threw himself back to his feet and tore through the room. A twist of his body was enough to avoid Orochimaru's sword, and then his enhanced fingers tore through Orochimaru's side.

Orochimaru was no longer smiling. Kakashi counted that as a victory.

Blood seeped through Orochimaru's pale clothes and he clutched at his side. Kakashi's hand was covered in blood and gore, but he knew he hadn't gone deep enough for it to really hamper Orochimaru. There was still Orochimaru's regenerative ability to consider, if he had it. Too many what-ifs…

His own body felt remarkably intact, which he probably owed to the stone skin. The thigh Orochimaru had kicked earlier was aching, but he could still put weight on it. He went in for another attack, and managed another strike, although this time Orochimaru responded quickly enough that the wound was superficial at best. Perhaps next time, he'd respond quickly enough to catch up and fight back.

Just to be safe, Kakashi forced his chakra back into shape and closed the third gate again. The world faded out of focus a little, and his body began to ache with a renewed vengeance as it began to register damage. He wasn't Lee or Gai; his body wasn't used to that kind of punishment.

He threw out another flash of light, and disappeared into the darkness.

Orochimaru snarled and ducked his head against the flash. His chakra was steady, though, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel the sannin was far too calm for him to feel truly threatened. The only attacks he had used were by sword and fist, and two wind techniques that were A-rank at best. Either he was ill, or Kakashi wasn't doing enough.

Which meant Kakashi probably wouldn't win, if he kept this up. Which meant he'd have to try and outsmart one of the cleverest people Konoha had ever seen.

He could think of only one way to do it.

He forced his bruised body to move again, and attacked. He wasn't as fast as before, so Orochimaru got a few glancing blows in. Kakashi flipped over, now with his back towards the dungeon's entrance, and gathered his chakra.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in realization a moment before Kakashi released his chakra. "Don't, you fool –"

Kakashi split the dungeon's ceiling in half with a neatly placed Earth jutsu. The noise cracked through the air even as he turned and ran. Behind him, Orochimaru screamed something else and disappeared into a huge burst of chakra.

* * *

is it weird that I love writing fight scenes even when I have no idea who should logically win? It's possible I'm sado-masochistic.

The idea was to let Kakashi convince Orochimaru he was weaker than he actually was, and therefore surprise him when he finally lets loose some kind of big attack (the current idea was to let him rip open the laboratory's electrical network and channel it, because _ouch_ ). Gaara or team Naruto would have swooped in and finished the rest.

Now, remember the mystery baby?

This is where we get to the **Alternative Plot (a.k.a. Too Little Too Late):**

Unfortunately, I didn't figure out this particular version of events until it was already too late for me to implement it. Plan your stories out before you start posting them, kids.

Basically though, instead of having the Oto shinobi take the baby before Kakashi could get to him, the refugees would still have had the mystery baby. The baby's mother would still have died, and Kakashi would have conveniently been holding the baby when the seal activated, transporting both of them to the desert. This would have resulted in some excellent bonding moments between the two of them, which would have fitted the theme of parenthood that I introduced by including Sakumo's scroll and Kakashi's mom's past with Suna.

The mystery scroll was entirely there to illustrate the theme of parenthood and family. Kakashi would have opened it expecting to find a secret technique or weapon, only for it to actually be filled up with anecdotes and drawings of his mother. Sakumo knew she was dead and wasn't sure he would survive either and really wanted his son to have something of his mother's. Sakumo never fails to be heartbreaking.

With the baby already in Kakashi's hands the entire storyline would have been a heck of a lot easier for me to juggle, because I could have just made Orochimaru come to them instead of the other way around. Flash forward to the big confrontation taking place in the desert prison instead, with roughly the same outcome except that it would have been three on one from the start. This wouldn't have left a lot of the action for team Naruto, so again – not a perfect solution.

It did, however, make it much easier for me to execute my final and favorite idea. Now, because I never actually ended up writing the bonding moments between Kakashi and the baby, as well as the parenthood theme, this won't make as much sense to you, but you might still like it.

* * *

"But we can't just leave him here," Naruto said, sounding a bit lost as he looked down at the infant.

Anko shook her head. "I – I'm sorry. I can't take him. He's just – he's too much."

Too much Orochimaru. Well. Kakashi looked down at the baby in his arms. It was really only the eyes, wasn't it? His nose had more definition, and his hair resembled Kakashi's more than anyone else's. He remembered the child's mother had had pale hair as well, though it had been hard to see in the dark prison. The boy cooed and, reaching out a little hand, grabbed Kakashi's finger.

That's when panic struck. Of all the possible options to take guardianship of the baby, Kakashi was very far down on the list. He had a village to run, barely even knew how to handle adults, let alone children, and hadn't expected or wanted to become a parent since about two months into his ANBU career.

But Anko eyed the boy with distrust, although he could tell she was trying not to, and the other prisoners were wary of the child. He looked at Naruto, who looked back with grave eyes.

Even though he was not Orochimaru's biological child, Mitsuki looked back up at him with the snake's yellow eyes.

"No one will want him," Naruto said quietly, "Not if they know."

And they would know, if Kakashi came back from defeating Orochimaru carrying an infant with snakelike eyes.

The kindest option would be to have the child grow up far away from Konoha, but then there would be no place for him to learn how to control the strange, powerful chakra Kakashi could already feel in the child's system.

Kakashi thought of Sandaime, who had left countless orphans to fend for themselves. Orphans like Naruto and Kakashi, but also orphans like Orochimaru. He thought of growing up alone and unwanted. He thought of wanting to change his village. He thought of how he might have gone about doing that if he hadn't had friends.

Kakashi stared at the baby. The baby stared back. "I could take him," his mouth said – it took his brain a few seconds to catch up. "For a little while, at least," he hurried to add, when he saw the others' astonished expressions. "Just a few weeks, until we find someone else. I know I'm Hokage, but that just makes it my responsibility. We don't know anything about his powers yet, anyway. He could be dangerous, for all we know."

It felt a little like a bad excuse, somehow. What the hell did he know about babies, anyway? In what world would he be well-equipped to handle one? That damn scroll – it had gotten into his head, it had, that had to be it – but he could still take his words back now, he could!

Naruto grinned hugely. "Aww, Kaka-sensei! That's perfect, he can have you for his dad. See, I told you it would work out great," he added to Sakura, who promptly slapped him on the back of the head.

"' _Dad'?_ No, that's not what I said –" Kakashi stuttered.

"No take-backsies, sensei," Naruto said sternly, and there is something strange and serious in his eyes that told Kakashi exactly how seriously he took this. "Look, he's already grown attached to you."

The baby was giving Kakashi's finger a very determined look and tried to pull it towards his mouth. Still stunned, Kakashi let him. "I didn't say ' _dad'_ ," he trailed off weakly.

Somewhere behind him, Sasuke sighed deeply. "This has to be one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while," he muttered.

"What's his name, anyway?" Sakura said, somewhere far away.

"Oh, the label said 'Mitsuki'," Naruto answered.

Kakashi looked down at the baby – no, at _Mitsuki_ – and thought of his own parents, fighting to get back to him. Things had a funny way of going full circle. Perhaps... Perhaps he would just try. He sighed. "Well, I can look after him for a _while_."

(And he did, for a while. And then for another while. And then, when the boy turned ten and proudly wore the Hatake sigil on his back, Kakashi decided his definition of "while" had been rather incomplete.)

* * *

Yep, the baby was the original Mitsuki! Without making too much of a thing out of it, I really, really don't like the fact that Orochimaru is made out to be some kind of reformed good guy in Boruto because, well, he uses his own child to experiment on, clones him a few dozen times in case he needs a _replacement,_ wipes the boy's memories every time he dares to rebel, and generally mistreats and abuses the poor kid.

The solution? Make it so that the kid is not biologically his and have someone else adopt him ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

and it just so happened that I had a protagonist lying around who I really wanted to have a family. Hence, the epilogue:

* * *

 **Epilogue.**

 _Ten Years Later_.

"It hasn't been a bad run, all things considered," Kakashi said thoughtfully, and tilted his head a little sideways to see past Mitsuki's curls.

"That's one way of putting it," Sasuke said, from where he sat by Kakashi's side. He poked Mitsuki's arm. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Nope," Mitsuki said, hardly looking away from his book but settling himself further into his father's lap.

Kakashi gave Sasuke a helpless shrug. "He'll move eventually. Probably. And if not, it will be a good excuse to miss Naruto's inauguration party."

"He might actually die of disappointment if we miss it," Sasuke said dryly. He tilted his head as well, also staring. "It doesn't look much like him."

Kakashi hummed. "Minato-sensei's doesn't look much like Minato either."

"Yours is silly too, daddy," Mitsuki helpfully added.

"Yes, thank you, Mitsu-chan," Kakashi said, patting the boy on the head.

"I'm still not sure how you got away with getting them to carve your mask on as well," Sasuke commented.

"Pure charm, mostly."

The view of the Hokage mountain was rather nice from Naruto's new apartment. The balcony was nice too, particularly with the potted plants Naruto had diligently grown from seeds he had found near his parents' grave. It was made even more cheerful by the allotment of colorful children's toys and tiny furniture scattered around.

Mitsuki felt he was rather too mature for them, naturally, being all of ten years of age, but they lent the place exactly the kind of happy, cozy air Kakashi knew Naruto's parents would have wanted for their son's home.

And, Kakashi felt, it was just the sort of environment a brand-new Hokage should come home to after a long day's work.

"But really, if you ignore the regular attempts on my life I think I did rather better than I would have expected," Kakashi said. He found he was in a rather thoughtful mood.

Sasuke turned unimpressed eyes on him. "Do you mean the one where they tried to poison you, or the plot to overthrow the Daimyou you 'accidentally' stumbled in on during your holidays?"

"I insist it was pure luck."

" _Lies_."

The balcony door opened behind them. "Oh, hello, boys. So this is where you've been," Sakura said, stepping onto the balcony with little Sarada in her arms. The orange light of the setting sun cast her in a rather lovely glow.

"Kakashi insists the incident with the Daimyou and the killer octopus was entirely not his fault," Sasuke said, reaching up to tickle his daughter under her chin. The little girl giggled and slapped at his hand.

Sakura settled her free hand in her side. "Well, you were on your holiday."

"Don't help him."

"He can use a bit of help every now and then," Sakura smiled, planting a hand on Kakashi's head before ruffling Mitsuki's hair. "Right, sensei?"

Kakashi resisted the urge to pout. All these years later, and they still wouldn't treat him with the dignity he deserved. Well, _deserved_ was a strong word. "At least you're on my side," he told Mitsuki.

Mitsuki closed his book and looked back at him with a wide grin. "Only so long as you feed me. Auntie Sakura, can I play with Sarada?" He added, and jumped to his feet, bright eyed and happy.

Kakashi watched the two children go, Mitsuki holding the younger child's hand to steady her still slightly wobbly gait. No, Kakashi hadn't done badly at all.

He looked back up at Sakura. "So? Where is our new Hokage?"

Sakura gave them a slightly lewd smile. "Hinata wanted to borrow him first, but they should get here soon. They wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sasuke huffed and muttered "I wouldn't be surprised if they did."

"What are you looking thoughtful about?" Sakura asked Kakashi as she turned to lean against the balcony ledge.

"Mahh, you know. Time flies, and all that. I was Hokage for a really long time," Kakashi said, scratching his head.

"I know, it's baffling," Sakura teased. Then, in a more serious tone, "You doing okay?"

Kakashi pulled a face. "Actually, I'm feeling pretty great –"

"Hello, everyone!" Naruto's voice boomed across the balcony. He strode towards them, his children hanging across his shoulders and Mitsuki and Sarada each clutched underneath one arm. Tenzou, Sai and Hinata followed him at a slightly more sedate pace, smiling gently.

Naruto stood there in the door opening, his silhouette outlined in brilliant gold, and looked every inch the hero (except for the overabundance of children clinging to his body). "I've made it," he said. "I'm finally Hokage."

Kakashi found himself smiling back automatically, the kind of smile you couldn't stop even if you tried. It spread across his face and stayed there, and not for the first time that day he felt truly at peace.

Sakura, he noticed, had tears in her eyes." You did, you great lump," she told Naruto, and then went over to hug him tightly. A couple of children tumbling to the ground were neatly caught by Tenzou and Sai.

Even Sasuke was smiling, if a little faintly. The second last of the Uchiha rose from his chair, the dark counterpart to Naruto's sunny presence, and held up one fist.

Naruto looked at it with a slightly awed expression. He looked back up and Sasuke with a wide but bewildered grin, said "Really? Just a fist bump?" and launched himself to give his best friend a hug.

"You didn't tell me this was going to be so sappy," Mitsuki said. Tenzou held him up under the armpits like he might a cat, and thrust him out in Kakashi's general direction.

"I believe this one is yours," Tenzou said.

"He is, thank you," Kakashi said, and graciously accepted the transfer.

"So, retirement," Tenzou said, putting his hands in his sides and rolling on the balls of his feet.

"It's nice, you might want to try it."

"I was actually about to say I don't believe one word of it. I'll eat my hat if you never have another adventure again," Tenzou said.

"You don't have a hat," Kakashi pointed out.

"I'll buy one, just for the occasion."

Kakashi smiled. "I suppose there's a chance I might run into trouble at some point, and I would be remiss not to do anything about it," he admitted. "I'm not that old, after all."

Mitsuki gave him the kind of look that suggested he disagreed, but then everyone over the age of eighteen seemed ancient to a ten-year-old.

"Honestly senpai, I expect you'll still be kicking up trouble in the old folks' home," Tenzou said, not unkindly.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes." Now there's a thought."

Naruto chose that moment to barge past Kakashi's friend and lift Kakashi-and-child up from the chair to hug them as well. "Thanks sensei!" He shouted, a little bit too close to Kakashi's ear.

"Ngl," Mitsuki said somewhere in between them.

"Whoops, sorry, I got a little overexcited."" Naruto jumped back with a sheepish smile. He peered past Kakashi. "So, what you think? I think statue-me looks handsome."

"He's a bit too blocky for my liking," Kakashi said, just as Mitsuki said, "He's a little stone-faced."

Naruto looked caught between disappointment and amusement, and settled for a groan. "What is it with you two and puns? This is the fifth time this week."

"Sixth," Mitsuki corrected.

Kakashi beamed. Mitsuki's ability to time bad jokes perfectly was one of the things he was most proud of in his son. "It looks good. Very manly," he added. It would be a shame to completely undermine Naruto's confidence on his first day in the office.

"That's what I was thinking. By the way, I've already hung the hat on my wall. Unlike you, I won't just hide it away in a cupboard somewhere," Naruto said, giving Kakashi a slightly critical look.

"It's the triangle shape. It doesn't go with my hair."

" _Anyway_ , I was thinking about what you could do your retirement," Naruto continued as if he hadn't heard Kakashi's comment.

Ominous, Kakashi thought. "What kind of things?" He asked carefully.

"You could try running for council. Or… I dunno, maybe from the veteran program." Naruto shrugged. "We'll think of something. It would be a shame to just let you go all lazy and fat with nothing to do."

Kakashi blinked. "I don't suppose anyone ever explained to you what retirement means..?"

"Oh, scr –" Naruto glanced at Mitsuki –"sod that. You can do what you like, and there's no way you want to sit back and do nothing. I know you," he added, giving Kakashi a particularly gleaming look.

Kakashi shrunk away under Naruto's gaze. In truth his retirement plans had thus far consisted of a vague thought that he might try his hand at writing, or that he could do a tour of Fire Country's Hot Springs – and he did still have a son to raise. There was plenty to do.

… Admittedly, the writing and the tour did seem a little bit empty after thirteen years of high office. Hmm. Well. He wrapped his hands a little bit tighter around Mitsuki. "It's not a bad thought," he granted.

"You'll do it?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Hey, now, that's not what I said –"

"The fireworks are starting!" Mitsuki cried out, pointing at the sky above the Hokage mountain. Bright red and orange bled across the sky, followed by a sharp snapping green and keening yellow. A brief pause, and then the characters for _Rokudaime_ appeared and faded into _Nanadaime_.

"Huh. Not bad," Kakashi said, but Naruto and Mitsuki were already glued to the edge of the balcony, their eyes huge and round.

Kakashi looked back at the adults. At Sakura, so confident and utterly competent and renowned throughout the world for her skills. At Sasuke, troubled Sasuke, who was trying so very hard and finally succeeding at finding peace. At Tenzou and Sai, who had gone from the darkness into light.

He saw all of them and felt… Inexplicably proud.

He turned back to the fireworks and briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them again Naruto and Mitsuki cheered loudly as a particularly nice piece of purple fireworks lit up the sky. And those two…

He thought of his parents. He thought of his team.

Yeah… Not a bad run at all.

* * *

Babies ever after..? Sort of?

Also, just because I love details:

– I decided to keep the next generation kids because, frankly, I figured they probably would have kids at this point and I didn't much feel like coming up with OCs. Unlike in Canon though, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura's generation didn't all conveniently have children at the same time. Since Mitsuki is the original rather than one of the clones (unlike Boruto's canon Mitsuki) he is the eldest at ten years, probably followed by (a hopefully slightly less entitled) Boruto of around seven, Sarada of about five, and Himawari at three. Sasuke is far more involved in his daughter's life than he is in Canon because screw canon.

–Mitsuki, Boruto and Sarada eventually do team up and end up becoming the next generation of Sannin – or something like it anyway, because they're not and never will be exact echoes of the past. They're better than that, and Mitsuki is careful to steer clear from any comparisons to Orochimaru.

– Kakashi's relationship status is whatever you want it to be. I'm honestly not sure, I could see him single dadding it up or bringing someone else into his life. Who knows?

* * *

so, that was about it. My enthusiasm got the better of me, as it often does, and so I ended up running out of steam before I could finish the story properly. I'm not sure how much of this will make sense without the context of the completed story, but I hope this is more satisfying than to have no ending at all!

I hope some of you might migrate over to my other series, Regeneration, which is worth a read if you like team Minato. If not, thank you anyway for supporting this series. Lots of love from me!


End file.
